Apbhramsa of Hemchandracharya

Author(s): Hemchandracharya, Kantilal Baldevram Vyas, Dalsukh Malvania, H C Bhayani
Publisher: Prakrit Text Society Ahmedabad

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Tarkavāgiša, who consider that there were several Apabhramsas, have not been able to adduce more than a sūtra or two to characterize these other Apabhramsas. Can we, on the basis of such extremely scanty data, be justified in positing distinct dialects ?
Thus, the overwhelming opinion that Hemacandra's Apabhramsa was, broadly speaking, a single literary language, with hardly any dialectal traits noticeable, stands irrefutable at present.20
V An interesting historical anecdote is associated with the composition of A HF, which, incidentally, throws light on its importance. It is well-known that Gujarat attained the zenith of its glory in the time of Jayasimhadeva Solanki, who had assumed the 'biruda’ ‘Siddharāja'. He subjugated all the neighbouring kingdoms-conquered and annexed Saurastra (circa V. S. 1170), defeated Yašovarman and conquered Malvā-a famous seat of learning and arts under Muñja and Bhojadeva of legendery fame (V. S. 1192-93). He also brought Mevād under his suzerainty, and defeated Arnorāja Cauhāņa of Ajmer. These conquests brought in their wake, untold wealth into Gujarat. But with the conquest of Malvā, Siddharāja acquired a very precious literary heritage--copies of rare literary and scholastic works composed under the aegis of the illustrious Kings, Bhoja and Muñja, who were themselves renowned poets and scholars. According to Prabhāvakacarita21, when the keepers of Siddharājas T727205R were examining the recent acquisition from Avanti, King Siddharāja and Acarya Hemacandra happened to visit the 9791011. Acarya Hamacandra became so much engrossed in perusing one of the works that the king became curious to know what absorbed his attention so greatly. Acarya Hemacandra 20. Cf. Bhayani, Ibid, p. 141; 24434421 41. 4. 22. "44360307 24444°21
નામ નીચે સ્થળમાને એકરૂપતા ધરાવતી–ધ્યાન ખેંચે તેવા બેલીભેદ વિનાની એક પ્રતિષ્ઠિત સાહિત્યભાષા જ અભિપ્રેત હતી એમ લાગે છે.” “તેમણે કયાંયે અપ.ના વિવિધ ભેદોને ઉલ્લેખ સરખો નથી કર્યો.” cf. MATRITET vss 74-115; also 'Prabaniha Cintă mari. (Guj. trans.) pp. 126-128. Vide-Durgashanker Kevalram Sästri, 'Gujaratno Madhyakālina Rajput Itihāsa', pub. Gujarat Vidya Sabha, Ahmedabad, 1953, p. 306..
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