Dear Yong Peng,

Thank-you for your first contribution on Chapter 1. Since the Saddaniiti is
of much interest to me, I'll be following closely the contributions to the
list on this text and hopefully I can be of some help. I think I'll be able
to take on the Ganthaarambhakathaa (book-beginning-talk or introduction)
since I have already started working on a translation of it (I'm now at
verse 6 of 15). Here are some comments on some of the words in your text
selection and translation:

> Padamaalaa
> pada (n) word. synonym: sadda.
> maalaa (f) garland.
> Padamaalaa: (lit.) An assortment of words.

I think Padamaalaa is literally a garland of words which I have seen applied
to the declensional paradigms and probably applies to the conjugational
ones as well. It might even include other lists of words too such as lists
of nouns and verbs derived from bhuu. What Dhaatumaalaa and Suttamaalaa
refer to are more well-defined sets.

> Chapter 1: Savikara.naakhyaatavibhaaga
>
> Savikara.naakhyaatavibhaaga ???

Savikara.naakhyaata refers to verbs with their vikara.na affixes. As you
will see further on, these are the affixes added directly to the verbal
roots (dhaatus), such as 'a' added to 'bhuu' to form the verbal stem
'bhava-' or 'e' added to 'dis' to form 'dese-' or 'desaya-' and to which the
inflexional affixes are then added.

> Sakattham-pi dhaaretii-ti dhaatu,
> own way - too / understands / dhaatu
> 'Understands in one's own way' is dhaatu,

I would tentatively translate: 'it contains its own meaning' thus it is an
element or verbal root. I will take a closer look at Chap. I when I'm
finished with the introductory verses.

Best wishes,
Jim