Middle Indic tuvatta-

Summary

Herman Tieken investigates the Middle Indic verb tuvatta‑, arguing that the primary issue is its changing meaning rather than its derivation. In Asokan inscriptions the word denotes being active or getting up, whereas in Pali and Jaina texts it means lying down. Tieken analyses occurrences in the Dhauli and Jaugada edicts and interprets the verb alongside samcalitaviye and etaviye to show it refers to bodily activity. He proposes deriving tuvatta‑ from Sanskrit ati‑vrt‑ (‘to move excessively’), explaining phonological changes. The study then surveys the verb in the Pali canon, where it appears in lists with verbs for standing and sitting and clearly means ‘to lie down’. In Jaina texts it similarly means turning over or lying down. Tieken argues that the semantic bleaching from ‘being active’ to ‘lying down’ reflects linguistic evolution and social context. Understanding this shift helps date the Jaina canon relative to the Buddhist Pali canon, with the Asokan sense being oldest and the Jaina usage representing the latest stage.