Prakritsarvaswam

SR No.: 001369
Original Sutra Author: Markandey
Author: Krushnachandra Acharya
Publisher: Prakrit Text Society Ahmedabad
Publication Year: 1968
Total Pages: 424
Language: Prakrit, Sanskrut, English
Classification: Book_Devnagari & Grammar
File Size: 20 MB

Page 130

INTRODUCTION
123
iudicates that the remaining sixteen types refer to the sixteenfold division of languages as given by Mk in his introduction. Now if Bāhliki and Pāñcāla are included in the main division, i. e., if they are not recognised as indivisual dialects, then the uumber comes to fourteen. Here if we refere to the sixteenfold division of Mk, we see that Bāhliki has already been included in Avants and so there is no question of rejecting it once again. Thus including Pāñcāla Paiśācī in the main division we get fifteen instead of fourteen. Here one thing seems to be probable. According to some authorities Bābliki is the same as Āvanti. In fact as we have seen Rt treats Avanti and Bāhliki as identical. Bharata enjoins Āvanti ( NŚ XVII. 51 ) for Dhūrtas and the quotation cited by Mk as coming from Bh but not traceable to NS is that Bāblīkī is the language of the Dhūrtas. So there was hardly any difference between the two dialects and both of them were akin to Sauraseni. So there is much reason to believe that according to certain section of critics one stood for the other. Hence by rejecting Bāhlikī, i. e., Avanti in addition to Pāñcāla from this list of Mk we get fourteen types of language which again together with Sanskrit and Samkirņa comes to sixteen in number.
In this connection it is to be noted that Rt in the last chapter of his grammar mentions that there are fiftyfive languages on the whole (sarvā eva pañcapañcasad bhāṣāḥ, cf. III. 3. 18 ) which may have referred to eight Bhāṣās ( cf. Mk. ), nine Vibhāṣās ( as given by Rt), twentyseven Apabhrņsas ( as given by Mk ) and eleven Paisācikas ( as given by both Mk and Rt, but on a different line ) thus the total number coming to fiftyfive.