Lilavai

SR No.: 002796
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: A N Upadhye
Publisher: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan
Publication Year: 1966
Total Pages: 500
Language: Sanskrit, Hindi, English
Classification: Book_Devnagari & Literature
File Size: 15 MB

Page 106

INTRODUCTION
Pamca-cha (Mar. Pañca-sahā) are quite close to Marathi idiom. The phrase tumham ciyai (957) deserves special attention; the appendage ciya is no more a separate word, but both together form one word to which the termination is added: compare Marathi tumacya, amacya etc. Common points like these go to indicate that our author's language, the Marahattha desi bhasă, is a literary language; and in all likelihood it is based on the spoken language of Mahārāṣṭra which with the lapse of time and under different influence has grown into present-day Marathi.
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6. THE SANSKRIT COMMENTARY AND ITS AUTHOR
In this edition the text of the Lilavati is accompanied by a Sanskrit commentary, called Lilavati-kathā-vṛttiḥ, tentatively presented here from an unsatisfactory transcript of Ms. B which is already described above. As a Shorter Recension, Ms. B has its importance which is further heightened by the Sanskrit vṛtti which is not found anywhere else as yet. The commentary has a big gap, because the Ms. B has lost some folios; and its text is unsatisfactory in many a place. Still it is highly useful for verifying the readings of the Präkrit text and for giving us the explan. ations of some of the gathās and the Sanskrit chāyā of most of them.
At the beginning of the poem, the commentary is pretty exhaustive the gathās are difficult and full of mythological allusions, and consequently there is much to explain. But as one gradually advances, say after the first 120 gāthās or so, the discussions decrease, explanations grow meagre, and the Vṛtti assumes the form of just a bare Sanskrit chāyā: at the most it appeals to some or the other Sutra of Hemacandra's grammar on a particular word, generally a Dhātvädeśa. In a few cases the readings are discussed (gāthās 155, 364 etc.), but that is only casually. It is surprising that the commentary sometimes explains readings which are not found in MS. B (gāthās 265, 279, 320, 412 etc.): that is a riddle which can be explained only when some more Mss. of the Shorter Recension become available. Though the Vrtti is not an outstanding performance, it is helpful in many places.
As discussed above, Hemacandra knew this Lilavati; and there is every likelihood of his having used its text in collecting material for his Prakrit grammar. This is indirectly confirmed by the commentator who quotes Hemacandra's grammar repeatedly, nearly fifty times. He also quotes from the Desi-nama-mālā and Kāvyānuśāsana (pp. 20 and 193) of
1 In continuation of the common points already noted by Konow, Grierson,
Bloch and others.