Latin ambō and Sanskrit amba (अम्ब)

Latin ambō’s inflection suggests dual (as it has no singular), and also means ‘podium’ and amphi; with an emphasis on ‘viewing’ from both sides and on the podium (anything viewed is also only with two eyes). Here this goes with amba ‘k’ (neut.) for ‘an eye’. Strangely, we may have lost the use of ambau as an obsolete term in Sanskrit when we advanced further into pre-Pāṇinian or Pāṇinian Sanskrit with the introduction of the ka-pratyaya (क प्रत्यय) in amba (अम्ब), as in tryambakam (त्र्यम्बकम् = त्रि + अम्बकम्) and not ambāḥ (अम्बाः) [anything more than two, i.e. plural–bahuvacana] for ‘three eyes’ (Śiva?). But ambo, ambau, ambai/ambae remained in many Proto-European languages… ‘ambience, ambient’ for ‘viewing’ in English is one such derivative.

अम्बते { अम्ब् } ambate { amb } verb sound ? 

अम्बति { अम्ब् } ambati  { amb }      verb go 

( http://spokensanskrit.de/index.php?tinput=amb&direction=SE&link=yes&choice=yes )

“अम्ब गतौ (भ्वादिः, परस्मैपदी, सकर्मकः, सेट्) — ambati ‘goes’ (gacchati, in the sense of ‘as swiftly as a star’), hence ambakam (स्वार्थे क्), i.e. ‘an eye’ [as advised by Ācāryavarya Rāmānujan Devanāthan @Iksusara ji].

(While I could read only the ātmanepada form ambate through the TDIL morph generator, I am always at a loss, being a non-Sanskritist, so pardon me.)

“अम्ब्यते गर्भे प्राप्यते इति (घञ्, स्वार्थे क् च) — ambakam = ‘father’ [as explained by Ācāryavarya Iksusara ji]. While ‘amma-abbaa’ (Persian) ~ sounds like amba if spoken together, amba (Buginese) for ‘father’ appears to be the lost Sanskrit ambau; yet pitarau remained (mātā ca pitā ca), preserving the sense of duality of parents being together [bahuvrīhi].”

Now, among these, the interesting find is this: in Hindi/Urdu we say ‘जहां तक नज़रें जातीं हैं’ = dekhna (‘till the eyes go’, meaning ‘as far as the eyes can see’). The translated meaning of this sentence in English sounds absurd, since eyes do not go anywhere; rather, light travels and reflects back to the eye, so that the image of the object is formed — and that science we all know.

Our Sanskritists knew that anything with gati (गति) is amba (अम्ब). So ambaka = ‘eyes which receive light’, ambara, ambaraga (‘sky-going’), ambarada (‘giver of clothes’), and ambate {अम्ब्}/ambate {amb} as the verb ‘sound’ (since sound travels = gati, which they already understood). Eureka!

This may be a brief story of how ambo–ambae–ambi (in the sense of ‘dual’) developed into amphi (where the sense of seeing with both eyes extended to seeing from both sides), and then became an upasarga in theatron, giving amphitheater(‘to be seen from both sides’). From there it likely carried forward into derivatives such as ambulate, circumambulation, ambulance, ambience, amicable, and others.

This is, of course, a very premature stage to draw conclusions. It remains rather a note to myself in the attempt to understand Sanskrit grammar and its application on linguistic terms at this initial stage.

Perhaps this might interest archaeolinguists. I do not know how far I have managed to disintegrate or penetrate into Amba. As I mentioned, my words are so coiled up that there is yet an absence of Śeṣa to spring forth — once again, a matter for discussion.