Indian Antiquary Vol 31

SR No.: 032523
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Richard Carnac Temple
Publisher: Swati Publications
Publication Year: 1984
Total Pages: 556
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 19 MB

Page 116

112
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[MARCH, 1902.
The full scale ran thus:
Full Scale. varidimiventy (half ambatry)
5 rice seeds. varifitoventy (quarter voamena) eranam batry (a fall pea) ... ilavoamena (one side of a red seed) roanambatry (two peas) ... voamena (red seed) ... ... ... efatrambatry (four peas) lasiray (one side and one) dimimambatry (five peas) ... roavoa mena (two red seeds) ... ... ... lasiroa (one side and two) ... sikajy (an eighth) ... .. lasitelo (one side and three) ... venty (substance, volume, (?) the lump) iraimbilanja (the full weight) kirobo (a fourth) ... ... ... ... ... 180 , loso (a half) ... ... ... ... ... ... 360 »
ariary (a real, dollar) ... ... ... ... ... 720 , » The multiples of the ambatry conse at the dimimambatry of 50 rice seeds and for the intermediate quantities between those given in the scales the terminology is to some extent mixed up between the ambatry and the voamena, thus it is correct to say :
ro&voamena-by-eran, two red seeds and one (ambatry), = 70 rice seeds. sikajy-latsaka-eran, a sikajy wanting one (ambatry), = 80 rice seeds. roavoamena-latsaka-varifitoventy, two red-seeds wanting 7 rice seeds, - 53 rice seeds. roavoamena-latsaka-varidimiventy, two red-seeds wanting 5 rice seeds, = 55 rice seedo. voamena-sy-varidimiventy, a red-seed and 5 rice seeds, = 85 rice seeds.
voamena-latsaka-varidimiventy, a red-seed less 5 rice seeds, = 25 rice seeds. It would be incorreot to say :-roanambatry-sy-varidimiventy, two peas and 5 rice seeds, for 25 rice seeds, or dimimambatry-sy-varidimiventy, five peas and 5 rice seeds for 55 rice seeds, though theoretically correct.
All this shows that the full Malagasy scale was made up of three separate scales based respectively on the ambatry or pea, the voamend or red seed, and the dollar, but all mixed up in their subdivisions and multiples. Thus we have
(1) The Ambatry Scale. varidimiventy ... ... ... 5 rice seeds or ambatry eranambatry ... ... ... 10
or 1 > roanambatry ... ... ... 20
or 2 efatumbatry ... ... ... 40, or 4 dimimambatry ... ... ... 50
or 5 at which point the scale stops, the missing point of 8 ambatry being saperseded by the doamena, the unit of the next scale.