Kuvalayamala Part 2

SR No.: 002778
Original Sutra Author: Udyotansuri
Author: A N Upadhye
Publisher: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan
Publication Year: 1970
Total Pages: 368
Language: Sanskrit, English
Classification: Book_Devnagari & Literature
File Size: 12 MB

Page 121

82
KUVALAYAMALA
Prākrit text which contains plenty of Apabhramśa elements; but they positively verge on what must have been the spoken form of speech. It may be called Middle Indo-Aryan colloquial, or even Mid-Indian colloquial. The orthodox authors, who are brought up in the tradition of conventional court poetry, would not like to admit such conversations; but Uddyotana has done it; and he must be complimented on his having given us such linguistic material which would not have been otherwise available. The growth of Middle Indo-Aryan languages shows many gaps, because the spoken predecessor stages are not preserved: and what is found by way of its counterpart in literary strata is only partial and inadequate in linking the continuity of the speech formation. Dr. A. MASTER has already studied and offered grammatical notes on these passages. It may not be out of place to look at these passages from the points of view of Sanskrit, Prākrit (i. e., Māhārāstrī and Saurasenī) and Apabhramsa and observe their constituents with reference to their phonetic make-up, grammatical forms and vocabulary. The alternative readings only show that the passages have suffered changes in copying, beause the dialect is not clear-cut as expected; and the forms are often obscure.
The first conversation is set in an orphanage at Mathurā, and the list of the destitutes is quite interesting. The names in the list stand perhaps without terminations as one would use ordinarily while speaking. This is not impossible even in Apabhramsa. Besides the Prākrit forms, the Apabhramsa -u, Nom. pl. -im (with a preceding), Gen. pl. --ham, the form kahiṁ, perhaps je or jje (standing for ji or jji in some cases), the retention r in Prayāga, and a word like kheddu (Hema. VIII. iv. 422/9) are easy for detection. 1 miliellae, rutthellao and jampiellau, ekkekkamahā (Gen. pl. agreeing with the preceding nouns ?), gayāham (besides gayāham, repetition of so, and expressions like kahio vuttantao, tena jampiellai, kāiṁ kajju etc., add a positive colloquial tone to the passage.
The second context consists of four statements (63.18, 20, 22 and 25, which have perhaps a metrical ring) which are put in the mouth of Grāma-mahattaras, the last of whom, however, is a Dramga-svāmin, Dramga being a settlement of the Gūrjara tribe. The Prākrit background of these speeches is clear. The Apabhramsa traits are seen in forms like ehaus, u-endings, the word kira (Hema. VIII, iv. 419) and forms like Gamga, brolla, prāvu etc. The retention of r in a number of conjunct groups, alternative forms like etu, eu and ehu, Sanskritic tendency as in protu (=proktam ?), sampratu (=sāmpratam, besides samprati), bhrāti, retention of intervocalict (once its softening in viraïdu) etc., may be even dialectal traits (not unknown to Hemacandra) in the different sections of the society. But all these put together do point out to the colloquial format of the speeches uttered by people whose language is not standardised by some or the other grammatical discipline.
The third context is perhaps the most interesting conversation between the inmates of the residential school. They are all grown-up boys and are trained in reciting Veda (veda - pādha-mūla-buddhi-vittharā). Dr. A. MASTER has already studied some of the grammatical details. The Prākritic basis is obvious. The Apabhramsa characteristics like the u-endings, Gen. pl. in -ham, forms