# 𑀯𑀲
## Ashokan Prakrit
### Etymology

Inherited from Sanskrit वर्ष (varṣa).

### Noun

𑀯𑀲 (vasa /vassa/) n
* (especially in the plural) year
** c. 258 BCE, Aśoka, Minor Rock Edict 1 Brahmagiri.2:𑀅𑀥𑀺𑀓𑀸𑀦𑀺 𑀅𑀠𑀸𑀢𑀺𑀬𑀸𑀦𑀺 𑀯𑀲𑀸𑀦𑀺 𑀬 𑀳𑀓𑀁 […] 𑀲𑀓𑁂adhikāni aḍhātiyāni vasāni ya hakaṃ […] sake1925 translation by Eugen HultzschMore than two and a half years (have passed) since I (am) a lay-worshipper (upasaka).

#### Usage notes

Turner notes that 𑀯𑀲 (vasa) is almost always used in the plural (except when in a compound, which is where we find the lemma form usually), while the singular form is supplied by 𑀲𑀁𑀯𑀙𑀭 (saṃvachara). This suppletion is similar to the situation in Rigvedic Sanskrit, where संवत्सर (saṃvatsara) (and once परिवत्सर (parivatsara)) is the singular and हिमा (himā) is the plural.
However, some Southern inscriptions attest 𑀲𑀁𑀯𑀙𑀭 (saṃvachara) in the plural as well. See Alternative forms for a detailed breakdown.

#### Alternative forms

Attested at Bahapur, Bairat, Barabar, Brahmagiri, Calcutta-Bairat, Delhi-Topra, Dhauli, Gavimath, Girnar, Jaugada, Kalsi, Lumbini, Maski, Nigali-Sagar, Nittur, Panguraria and Siddapura.
Dialectal forms of 𐨬𐨮 (“year”) :
| Variety | Location | Lemmas | Forms |
| Central | Kalsi | 𑀯𑀱 (vaṣa), 𑀯𑀲 (vasa), 𑀯𑀰 (vaśa) | |
| Central | Delhi-Topra | 𑀯𑀲 (vasa) | |
| Central | Lumbini | 𑀯𑀲 (vasa) | |
| Central | Nigali-Sagar | 𑀯𑀲 (vasa) | |
| Central | Rupnath | 𑀙𑀯𑀙𑀭 (chavachara) | 𑀙𑀯𑀙𑀭𑁂 nom.sg (chavachare) |
| Central | Bairat | 𑀲𑀁𑀯𑀙𑀭 (saṃvachara), 𑀯𑀲 (vasa) | $^?$𑀯𑀲𑀸𑀦𑀺 acc.pl (vasāni), 𑀲𑀁𑀯𑀙𑀭𑁂𑀁 nom.sg (saṃvachareṃ) |
| Central | Sahasram | 𑀲𑀯𑀙𑀮 (savachala), 𑀲𑀁𑀯𑀙𑀮 (saṃvachala) | 𑀲𑀯𑀙𑀮𑁂 nom.sg (savachale), $^?$𑀲𑀁𑀯𑀙𑀮𑀸𑀦𑀺 acc.pl (saṃvachalāni) |
| Central | Gujarra | 𑀲𑀁𑀯𑀙𑀭 (saṃvachara) | 𑀲𑀁𑀯𑀙𑀭𑁂 nom.sg (saṃvachare), $^?$𑀲𑀁𑀯𑀙𑀭𑀸𑀦𑀺 acc.pl (saṃvacharāni) |
| Central | Barabar | 𑀯𑀲 (vasa) | |
| Central | Calcutta-Bairat | 𑀯𑀲 (vasa) | 𑀯𑀲 pl (vasa) |
| Central | Panguraria | 𑀲𑀁𑀯𑀙𑀭 (saṃvachara), 𑀯𑀲 (vasa) | $^?$𑀲𑀁𑀯𑀙𑀭𑁂 nom.sg (saṃvachare), 𑀯𑀲𑀸𑀦𑀺 acc.pl (vasāni) |
| Central | Bahapur | 𑀲𑀯𑀙𑀮 (savachala), 𑀯𑀲 (vasa) | 𑀲𑀯𑀙𑀮𑁂 nom.sg (savachale), 𑀯𑀲𑀸𑀦𑀺 acc.pl (vasāni) |
| East | Dhauli | 𑀯𑀲 (vasa) | |
| East | Jaugada | 𑀯𑀲 (vasa) | |
| Northwest | Shahbazgarhi | 𐨬𐨮 (vaṣa) | |
| Northwest | Mansehra | 𐨬𐨮 (vaṣa) | |
| West | Girnar | 𑀯𑀭𑁆𑀲 (varsa), 𑀯𑀲 (vasa) | |
| South | Yerragudi | 𑀲𑀁𑀯𑀙𑀭 (saṃvachara), 𑀲𑀯𑀙𑀭 (savachara) | 𑀲𑀁𑀯𑀙𑀭𑀁 acc.sg (saṃvacharaṃ), 𑀲𑀯𑀙𑀭𑁂 nom.sg (savachare) |
| South | Siddapura | 𑀲𑀁𑀯𑀙𑀭 (saṃvachara), 𑀯𑀲 (vasa) | 𑀲𑀁𑀯𑀙𑀭𑁂 nom.sg (saṃvachare), $^?$𑀲𑀁𑀯𑀙𑀭𑀁 acc.sg (saṃvacharaṃ), 𑀯𑀲𑀸𑀦𑀺 acc.pl (vasāni) |
| South | Brahmagiri | 𑀲𑀯𑀙𑀭 (savachara), 𑀯𑀲 (vasa), 𑀲𑀁𑀯𑀙𑀭 (saṃvachara) | 𑀲𑀁𑀯𑀙𑀭𑁂 nom.sg (saṃvachare), 𑀲𑀯𑀙𑀭𑀁 acc.sg (savacharaṃ), 𑀯𑀲𑀸𑀦𑀺 acc.pl (vasāni), 𑀲𑀁𑀯𑀙𑀭𑁂𑀁 nom.sg (saṃvachareṃ) |
| South | Maski | 𑀯𑀲 (vasa) | $^?$𑀯𑀲𑀸𑀦𑀺 acc.pl (vasāni) |
| South | Rajula-Mandagiri | 𑀲𑀁𑀯𑀙𑀭 (saṃvachara) | 𑀲𑀁𑀯𑀙𑀭𑀁 acc.sg (saṃvacharaṃ) |
| South | Nittur | 𑀲𑀁𑀯𑀙𑀭 (saṃvachara), 𑀯𑀲 (vasa) | 𑀲𑀁𑀯𑀙𑀭𑁂 nom.sg (saṃvachare), 𑀲𑀁𑀯𑀙𑀭𑀁 acc.sg (saṃvacharaṃ), 𑀯𑀲𑀸𑀦𑀺 acc.pl (vasāni) |
| South | Gavimath | 𑀲𑀁𑀯𑀙𑀭 (saṃvachara), 𑀯𑀲 (vasa) | 𑀲𑀁𑀯𑀙𑀭𑁂 nom.sg (saṃvachare), 𑀯𑀲𑀸𑀡𑀺 acc.pl (vasāṇi) |
Map of dialectal forms of 𐨬𐨮 (“year”) :
* 𑀯𑀲 (vasa) (17) 𑀲𑀁𑀯𑀙𑀭 (saṃvachara) (13) 𑀲𑀯𑀙𑀭 (savachara) (2) 𐨬𐨮 (vaṣa) (2) 𑀲𑀯𑀙𑀮 (savachala) (2) 𑀲𑀁𑀯𑀙𑀮 (saṃvachala) (1) 𑀙𑀯𑀙𑀭 (chavachara) (1) 𑀯𑀱 (vaṣa) (1) 𑀯𑀰 (vaśa) (1) 𑀯𑀭𑁆𑀲 (varsa) (1)

### References

* ↑ Turner, R[alph] L[illey] (1932) The Gavīmaṭh and Pālkīguṇḍu Inscriptions of Aśoka (Hyderabad Archaeological Series; 10)‎, Hyderabad: His Exalted Highness the Nizam's Government, page 15

### Further reading

* Andersen, Paul Kent (1990) “vasa-”, in Studies in the Minor Rock Edicts of Aśoka, Freiburg: Hedwig Falk, page 169
* Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985) “varṣá”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press

## Pali
### Alternative forms

* vasa (Latin script)
* वस (Devanagari script)
* ৰস (Bengali script)
* වස (Sinhalese script)
* ဝသ (Burmese script)
* วส or วะสะ (Thai script)
* ᩅᩈ (Tai Tham script)
* ວສ or ວະສະ (Lao script)
* វស (Khmer script)
* 𑅇𑄥 (Chakma script)

### Verb

𑀯𑀲
* Brahmi script form of vasa, which is second-person singular imperative active of 𑀯𑀲𑀢𑀺 (vasati, “to dwell”)
* Brahmi script form of vasa, which is second-person singular imperative active of 𑀯𑀲𑀢𑀺 (vasati, “to clothe”)

### Noun

𑀯𑀲 ?
* Brahmi script form of vasa (“Pali root vas (basic sense: to dwell)”)
* Brahmi script form of vasa (“Pali root vas (basic sense: to clothe)”)