sAri, the Indian dress

[N. Ganesan]

Sari is a prominent cultural symbol of India and, it derives
from zATI/ZATikA. sArI < zATI, much like Dharwar < Dharwad where wAD
(skt. vATika < ta. pATi).

Marathi has chATI; Panini: zATI-paTTika, zATI-paTIra,
zAtI-pracchada; Katyayana: zATaka; Patanjali: zATakaM;
Dhammapatha: ajina-sATI (v.394); Pali: sATa, sATikA, sATiya;
Jain: sADa, sADiA; Prakrit: sADi... (Indology archives).
The variations, z/s/ch and T/D suggest this word is
a borrowal.

Prof. K.S. Arjunwadkar wrote earlier:
>Paanini's list of roots does note a root 'shaT' (I P.) meaning 'to be sick,
>to divide, separate, to be dissolved, to be weary or dejected,
>to go' and a root 'shaT' (X A.) meaning 'to praise, flatter' (Apte's
>Dictionary). As in the case of many words, it is difficult to relate
>the root-meaning to the meaning of the derivative in use.

Pl. look at tamil words:
1)kATikam = sAri 2) kATakam = sAri
(p. 425, N, KathiraiverpiLLai's Tamil-Tamil dictionary,
6th reprint, Delhi:AES, 1990). Also, in OTL.
kATikam/kATakam(=sAri) could be found in old Tamil literature.

Online Tamil Lexicon(OTL) entry:
-------------------------------------------------------------

kaTTu-tal

OTL kaTTu-tal 01 1. to tie, bind, fasten, shackle; 2. to build,
construct, fix, erect; 3. to establish, as a theory; 4. to hug,
embrace; 5. to support, sustain; 6. to tie on, adorn with; 7. to wear,
to be  dressed in; to put on, as clothes; 8. to remit, pay up; 9. to
acquire; 10. to fabricate, contrive, invent; 11. to harden, condense,
consolidate; 12. to store, gather together; 13. to bind by spells,
magic; 14. to suborn; 15. to compose, as verse; 16. to marry; 17. to
win, checkmate, overcome; 18. to fill, as a tank with water; 19. to
shut up, close up; 20. to export; 1. to harden, consolidate, form, as
concretions; to  congeal, coagulate; 2. to be congested, as the throat
in acute pharyngitis; 3. to swell, as a boil, a tumour or an
imposthume; 4. to be a bad omen, to portend misfortune; 5. to
overspread, as clouds; 6. to be  worth while, just paying; 7. to
compare with, to be equal
---------------------------------------------------------------

A noun kATi(=sAri/dress to wear) is formed from the above tamil verb,
"kaTTu" which is attested in all Dravidian and in CT.
Many verb_to_noun pairs are formed in a like manner:
viTu(to leave) > vITu (home, mukti), mUTu(to close) > mUTi(cover),
nITTu(to extend, to prolong) > nITu (for a prolonged period of time)
etc., In a similar manner, ta. kaTTu(to tie as adornment) > ta. kATi
(=sAri).

> From 1) ta. paTu (to lay down) > skt. paTTa/paTTika and
2) dr. tamizh > dAmili/dramiDi/dramiDaka, ... and also, k -> s/z
is attested in Sanskrit and Tamil many a time (eg., karkoTa/zarkoTa,
ta. kaTTam(square)/caTTam(rectangular window frame, law < (verb)
kaTTu).

Hence, is drav. kATi > skt. zATI/zATa(ka)/sADI/chATI possible?
If so, the kATi(dr.)/zATI(skt) is probably what is seen on the
shoulders of the so called 'priest' of IVC and latter on the Buddha.

Regards,
N. Ganesan




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