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Language transforms into the language of all, whether Aryan, non-Aryan, bipeds, quadrupeds, deer, animals, birds, reptiles, and so on; it becomes beneficial, auspicious, and conducive to their happiness.
The Acharanga Churni also mentions this same sentiment. It states that the great souls, compassionate towards all beings, including women, children, the elderly, and the illiterate, preached the principles in the Ardhamagadhi language.
_Ardhamagadhi is a dialect of Prakrit. The Dashavaikalika Vritti, while mentioning that the Lord's teachings were in Prakrit, expresses a similar sentiment as above:
"For the benefit of children, women, the elderly, and the foolish-illiterate-all those who desire good conduct, the enlightened ones composed the principles in Prakrit."2 Ardhamagadhi
The time of Lord Mahavira was a period when various kinds of rigidities were prevalent in the religious world. One of them was the rigidity of language. Sanskrit was considered the language of religious discourse. Sanskrit was not prevalent among the common people. Ordinary people could not understand it. In everyday speech, Prakrit languages were prevalent. There were many varieties of these, depending on the region, of which Magadhi, Ardhamagadhi, Shaurseni, Paisachi, and Maharashtri were prominent. Ardhamagadhi and Magadhi were prevalent in eastern India, while Shaurseni was prevalent in the west. Paisachi was the language of the northwest. Maharashtri was used in the central region. Ardhamagadhi was prevalent in the region between Shaurseni and Magadhi. Thus, Ardhamagadhi proves to be a language between Magadhi and Shaurseni. That is, some of its forms are like Magadhi and some are like Shaurseni. This is probably why it got the name Ardhamagadhi.
Magadhi has three main characteristics. There, only the palatal 'sh' is used for 'sh', 'sh', and 's'. 'l' comes in place of 'r'. In the first case of nouns ending in 'a', the 'e' ending is used. In Ardhamagadhi, about half of these three characteristics are found. The palatal 'sh' is not used there at all. In nouns ending in 'a', 'e' is used in the first case most of the time. 'l' is used in place of 'r' in some places.
There is another peculiarity in the declensional structure of Ardhamagadhi. There, in the seventh case, along with 'e' and 'mmi', the suffix 'ansi' is also used, such as - nayare nayarammi, nayaransi.
1. Bhagavan cha nam Ardhamaghiye bhasaye dhammamaikkhai. Savi ya nam Ardhamaghi bhasa bhasijjamaani tesim savvesim ariyamanaariyaanm dupppay-chaupppay-miy-pasu-sarisivaanm appano hiy-siv suhaybhasattaye parinamahi.
-Samavayangasutra 34. 22. 23. 2. Balastrivruddhamurkhaanam nrinam charitrakankshinam. Anugraharthe tatvagnaih siddantah prakrtah krtah.
-Dashavaikalika Vritti page 223.
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