Studies in Jainology Prakrit Literature and Languages

SR No.: 001597
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: B K Khadabadi
Publisher: Prakrit Bharti Academy
Publication Year: 1997
Total Pages: 460
Language: English
Classification: Book_English, Literature, & Language
File Size: 22 MB

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Studies in Jainology, Prakrit
were born of the three and-a- half languages or not. Shri P.G.Kulkarni takes the statement into consideration and observes that the borrowal of Sanskrit words into the South Indian languages has led to the belief that all these languages are born of Sanskrit.5 Shri S.B.Joshi takes note of the statement and calls it as the outcome of the author's belief based on the fact of excessive 6 borrowal of Sanskrit and Prakrit words. Dr.V.R.Umarji rather forces this statement of Nagavarma in support of his thesis that Sanskrit is the mother of all the Indian languages and Paisaci the immediate source of Kannada. Thus no serious attempt has been so far made to bring out the linguistic value or significance of the statement under discussion.
Now an analytical view of Nagavarma's statement holds out to us a three-fold problem:
(i) Languages like Tamil, Telugu and Kannada are born of Sanskrit, Prakrit, Apabhramsa and Paisaci.
(ii) The daughter-languages (bhaṣājātiga!) including Tamil, Telugu and Kannada are fifty-six in number spoken in fifty-six countries.
(iii) One of the mother-languages is a half language.
Nagavarma, of course, does not enumerate the fifty-six countries or languages, nor does he specify with reasons which is a half language a queer numerical expression ever recorded in respect of a language. It is the commentators that try to enumerate the fifty-six countries. Kittel reproduces these lists and observes that they do not contain complete enumeration and also that great arbitrariness is shown in enumerating these countries as the lists provided by the different commentators are not at all identical, but several countries in one list are substitued by others in the another one. The following is the incomplete list of the fifty-six countries:
Anga, Andhra, Ārya, Ekapāda, Odra, Karnāta, Kalinga, Kamboja, Kasmira, Kalava, Kuntala, Kukura, Kuranga, Kerala, Konkana, Konga, Koraha (Mahākoraha), Kollala, Gandhara,