246. Carelessness in their employment.

Yet carelessness in the employment of comparative and superlative is not rare in Sanskrit. (*1) Sometimes the comparative is used instead of the superlative. Pat. I, p. 77 yathā tarhi bahuṣu putreṣv etad upapannaṃ bhavatyayaṃ me jyeṣṭhaḥ putro ‘yaṃ me madhyamo ‘yaṃ me kanīyān iti — instead kaniṣṭhaḥ. Panc. I, 408 it is said that of the shâdgunya the daṇḍa is the worst expedient, here we find pāpīyān, not pāpiṣṭhaḥ, ibid. p. 305 among four individuals one is said the jyeṣṭhataraḥ (*2).

Sometimes again the superlative is used instead of the comparative. Kathâs. 43, 23 of two brothers one calls himself kaniṣṭha, and his brother jyeṣṭha. Panc. 113 svāmy amātyayor ekatamasya vinipātaḥ (a mischief of either king or minister). Cp. ibid. V, 36 vidyāyā buddhir uttamā (judgment is better than learning), here the superl. is of necessity, as the comp. uttara does not purport the meaning of excellency. For a different reason prathama a superl. as to its form, is the equivalent of both »first” and »former.” So f. i. Mâlav. II, p. 35 atra bhavator ācāryayoḥ katarasya prathamaṃ prayogaṃ drakṣyāmaḥ (of whom of these two honourable professors shall we see the performance the first?)

(*1)
Further investigation will decide for how much of that seeming irregularity we are indebted to the faults and the sloth of copyists, and how much of it is really good Sanskrit.

(*2)
As to the form cp. R. 2, 12, 26 bhūyastaram and Whitney Sanskr. Grammar § 473, al. 4.

246. それらの使用における不徹底

そうではあるけれども、比較級と最上級の使用における不徹底はサンスクリットでは珍しくない（*1）。比較級は最上級の代わりに用いられることがある。
Pat. I, p. 77 yathā tarhi bahuṣu putreṣv etad upapannaṃ bhavatyayaṃ me jyeṣṭhaḥ putro ‘yaṃ me madhyamo ‘yaṃ me kanīyān iti — instead kaniṣṭhaḥ
Panc. I, 408 it is said that of the shâdgunya the daṇḍa is the worst expedient, here we find pāpīyān, not pāpiṣṭhaḥ
ibid. p. 305 among four individuals one is said the jyeṣṭhataraḥ（*2）

また、最上級が比較級の代わりに用いられることもある。
Kathâs. 43, 23 of two brothers one calls himself kaniṣṭha, and his brother jyeṣṭha
Panc. 113 svāmy amātyayor ekatamasya vinipātaḥ (a mischief of either king or minister)
ibid. V, 36 vidyāyā buddhir uttamā (judgment is better than learning)

〔最後の例文について、〕複合語のuttaraは卓越性を意味しないから、ここでは最上級が必要とされる。違う理由から、prathamaの最上級形は、「第一の」とも「前者の」とも等しい。
Mâlav. II, p. 35 atra bhavator ācāryayoḥ katarasya prathamaṃ prayogaṃ drakṣyāmaḥ (of whom of these two honourable professors shall we see the performance the first?)

（*1）
文献に見られる不規則性のどれほどが写本作成者の過失や無精に依るもので、どれほどが本当に可いサンスクリットであるのかは、さらなる調査により確定されるであろう。

（*2）
語形に関しては、R. 2, 12, 26 bhūyastaramおよびWhitney § 473-dを参照せよ。