Possibility \#4

Possibility #4

The o in so, eso & n’eso may be changed to a

when followed by a consonant

for the sake of meter in verse.

In Kaccāyana this is called (27) lopañ’ca tatr’ākāro.

e.g. atha nibbindati dukkhe, esa maggo visuddhiyā.

(DHP277)

eko araññe viharam’appamatto,

sa maccudheyyassa tareyya pāran’ti.

(SN1.38)

pāpāni parivajjeti,

sa munī tena so muni

(DHP269)

na vedagū diṭṭhiyāyako na mutiyā,

sa mānam’eti na hi tammayo so.

(SNP47)

esa maggo ujumaggo,

esa maggo anuttaro.

(DN19.12)

sabbe saṅkhārā dukkhā’ti,

yadā paññāya passati.

atha nibbindati dukkhe,

esa maggo visuddhiyā.

(DHP278)

gāth’ābhigītaṃ me abhojaneyyaṃ,

sampassataṃ brāhmaṇa n’esa dhammo.

(SNP4)

Counter-examples:

All the normal cases when the word remains so, eso, or neso