________________ be Introduction 7. The nature of the book, which is styled 'Kummaputtacharia' by Form and style. the author, is somewhat like a narration as borne out by the term 'Kathanaka' which is seen invariably used in the Manuscripts which were copied down from time to time by preceptors and pupils for study. The narrative is written in simple beautiful unassuming Maharashtri Prakrit with the exception of a few small passages of one or two stanzas in Sanskrit, and the long prose passage at the beginning in the Ardha-Magadhi language of the Sitras, which is almost a quotation from the Sitra Literature. The language (Maharashtri) is chraste and pure grammatically and idiomatically, and almost free from laboured metaphors, conventional similes and unnatural puns. There is no grotesque show of pedantry. While reading the book, one is reminded of small stories in epic literature which the author appears to have imitated in style, diction and manner. We only here miss the few archaisms which we generally find in the epics. As the author belonged to a time when Prakrit was not a spoken language, the language of the author is naturally bound by strict rules of grammar. We find a few
