first consonant of a group is doubled, as in aggniḥ, vṛkkṣaḥ, etc. ⌊See W's notes to these rules, at iii. 26 and 28.⌋ ⌊"The manuscripts of the AV., so far as known to me, do not, save in very infrequent and entirely sporadic cases, follow any of the rules of the varṇakrama proper, excepting the one which directs duplication after a r; and even in this case, their practice is as irregular as that of the manuscripts of the later literature." So Whitney, note to iii. 32.⌋
Items of conformity to the Prātiçākhya, and of departure therefrom.—Without including those general euphonic rules the observance of which was a matter of course, we may here state some of the particulars in which the authority of the Prātiçākhya has served as our norm.
Transition-sounds: as in tān-t-sarvān.—Pr. ii. 9 ordains that between n̄, ṇ, n' and ç, ṣ, s respectively, k, ṭ, t be in all cases introduced: the first two thirds of the rule never have an opportunity to make themselves good, as the text offers no instance of a conjunction of n̄ with ç or of ṇ with ṣ; that of final n with initial s, however, is very frequent, and the t has always been introduced by us (save ⌊by inadvertence⌋ in viii. 5. 16 and xi. 2. 25). —The usage of the mss. is slightly varying ⌊"exceedingly irregular," says W. in his note to ii. 9, p. 406, which see⌋: there is not a case perhaps where some one of them does not make the insertion, and perhaps hardly one in which they all do so without variation.
Final -n before ç- and j-: as in paçyañ janmāni.—Pr. ii. 10 and 11 prescribe the assimilation of -n before a following palatal (i.e. its conversion into -ñ), namely, before ç- (which is then converted by ii. 17 into ch-), and before a sonant, i.e. before j- (since jh- does not occur). In such cases we have written for the converted -n an anusvāra; there can hardly arise an ambiguity† in any of the instances. ⌊A few instances may be given: for -n j-, i. 33. 2*; ii. 25. 4, 5; iv. 9. 9*; 36. 9*; v. 8. 7; 22. 14*; vi. 50. 3; viii. 2. 9*; xii. 5. 44; for -n ç-, i. 19. 4*; iii. 11. 5; iv. 8. 3; 22. 6, 7; xviii. 4. 59. The reader may consult the notes to those marked with a star. —SPP. seems to allow himself to be governed by his mss.; this is a wrong procedure: see notes to viii. 2. 9; i. 19. 4; iv. 9. 9.⌊ †⌊But see xiii. 1. 22.⌋
Final -n before c-: as in yāṅç ca.—Rule ii. 26 virtually ordains the insertion of ç. Owing to the frequency of the particle ca, the cases are numerous, and the rule is strictly followed in all the Atharvan mss. and so of course in our edition. This is not, however, the universal usage of the Rik: cf. for example ii. 1. 16, asmā́n ca tā́ṅç ca, and see RPr. iv. 32.
Final -n before t-: as in tāṅs te.—The same rule, ii. 26, ordains the insertion of s. As in the other Vedas, so in the AV., a s is sometimes inserted and sometimes not; its Pr. (cf. ii. 30) allows and the mss. show a variety of usage. Of course, then, each case has been determined on
