𑀘𑀖𑀢𑀺

Inherited from Sanskrit शक्ष्यति (śakṣyati), from शक् (śak, “to be able”).^[1][2] Cognate with Pali sagghati.^[3]

While the expected outcome is *𑀘𑀔𑀢𑀺 (*cakhati /⁠cakkhati⁠/), voicing of consonant clusters appears to have been a (eastern^[4]) dialectal feature that has been adopted widely in some cases, e.g. 𑀅𑀠 (aḍha /⁠aḍḍha⁠/, “eight”) from Sanskrit अष्ट (aṣṭa).

Earlier literature was unable to reconcile the voicing, and looked for explanations in Sanskrit चक्ष् (cakṣ, “to see”) and the (spurious?) root चर्घ् (cargh, “to go”)^[5][6] only listed in Wilson's Sanskrit dictionary. Chatterji sought to tie this term to the New Indo-Aryan terms meaning "want" or modal "should", listed under Ashokan Prakrit *𑀘𑀸𑀳𑁆 (*cāh).^[7] Given modern scholarship, all this appears unlikely.

𑀘𑀖𑀢𑀺 (caghati /cagghati/)

1. to be able to
   • c. 237 BCE, Aśoka, Major Pillar Edict 4, Delhi-Topra :

     𑀅𑀣𑀸 𑀳𑀺 𑀧𑀚𑀁 𑀯𑀺𑀬𑀢𑀸𑀬𑁂 𑀥𑀸𑀢𑀺𑀬𑁂 𑀦𑀺𑀲𑀺𑀚𑀺𑀢𑀼 𑀅𑀲𑁆𑀯𑀣𑁂 𑀳𑁄𑀢𑀺 𑀯𑀺𑀬𑀢 𑀥𑀸𑀢𑀺 𑀘𑀖𑀢𑀺 𑀫𑁂 𑀧𑀚𑀁 𑀲𑀼𑀔𑀁 𑀧𑀮𑀺𑀳𑀝𑀯𑁂 𑀳𑁂𑀯𑀁 𑀫𑀫𑀸 𑀮𑀚𑀽𑀓𑀸 𑀓𑀝𑀸 𑀚𑀸𑀦𑀧𑀤𑀲 𑀳𑀺𑀢𑀲𑀼𑀔𑀸𑀬𑁂

     athā hi pajaṃ viyatāye dhātiye nisijitu asvathe hoti viyata dhāti caghati me pajaṃ sukhaṃ palihaṭave hevaṃ mamā lajūkā kaṭā jānapadasa hitasukhāye

   • c. 255 BCE, Aśoka, Separate Rock Edict 1, Dhauli :

     𑀳𑁂𑀯𑀁 𑀘 𑀓𑀮𑀁𑀢𑀁 𑀢𑀼𑀨𑁂 𑀘𑀖𑀣 𑀲𑀁𑀧𑀝𑀺𑀧𑀸𑀤𑀬𑀺𑀢𑀯𑁂

     hevaṃ ca kalaṃtaṃ tuphe caghatha saṃpaṭipādayitave

     And if you act thus you will be able to fulfill .

Attested at Delhi-Meerut, Delhi-Topra, Dhauli, Jaugada, Lauriya-Araraj, Lauriya-Nandangarh and Rampurva.

Map of dialectal forms of 𑀘𑀖𑀢𑀺 (“to be able”)
𑀘𑀖𑀢𑀺 (caghati) (11)