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INTRODOOTION
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derives the word Prākṣta by calling it the language whose basis (prakrti) is the natural language of intercourse of all beings and which is not regulated by grammatical rules. In his second interpretation the word may stand for Prāk-krta, created before. Evidently while giving this type of derivative meaning of the word, the Jaina scholar had in his mind the Awg. dialect, the Pkt of the Arşa canon, which he styles as the language of gods. That Addhamāgabā Vāņi was the original language from which all the other languages had originated was the belief of the Jainas. This belief was due to the statement in the Jaina canon that it was the language in which Mahāvira preached his doctrines. It is also mentioned there that this language undergoes modifications when it is spoken by Aryans, the nonAryans, and other living beings such as the bipeds, the quadrupeds, the wild and the tamed animals, the birds and the insects.10 This idea finds echo in Vāgbhata's Alankāratilaka, I. 1 - alfarteft ݾ points सर्वायं सर्वतो वाचं सर्वज्ञी प्रणिदध्महे ॥
" We salute the speech Ardhamāgadhi who modi. fies herself into all the different languages and is perfect and omniscient". This faith relating to Amg reminds us of the Hindu belief about the eternity of the Vedas as well as of Sanskrit ( the speech of the gods ). Thus, as we have seen above, Amg, apart from being the vehicle of the sacred canon of the Jainas, had gained considerable prominence in the society as is evident from its recognition by the rhetoricians and Pkt grammarians.
10. Op. cit. Prà.-D
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