Il formulario delle paretimologie degli antroponimi nel Mahabharata

This brief survey of Mahabharata etymologies is restricted to the form, especially to the verb and the expressions which introduce the anthroponyms analysed. The imperative and the future of the verb bhu- are employed to predict a birth, to curse somebody or to give him a name a priori, the imperfect and the perfect to give a name a posteriori, being the name equal with the person. The verb jna- and vid- are found in the derivations of names related to a characteristic of the bearer. The verbs smr-, kath-, vac-, ah- and bru- bring the anthroponym in the etymology when it recalls an actuality of the bearer, achieving a narrative style. The verbs prath-, khya- and sru- are connected with the name, if its origin and the one of the bearer’s fame are the same. The verb kr- follows the noun nama and the genitive of a substantive referred to the bearer in the passages where the name is attributed by the putative parents, the brahmanas or the seers. The genitive seems to have a technical value, similar to the Panini’s genitive, which indicates a substitution. In all these passages, such as in olden times generally, the name is considered equal with an aspect of the bearer or with the bearer himself. Therefore in these popular etymologies the anthroponym takes the place of the individual either suggesting a word or resulting a whole sentence linked with it.