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51
(1) Alees 79703 1 H ( 7 ) Emù $147 ( ) 501481 ( 1 ) ak za af (o) ftogi i fore forcat QA ATT # Read det ta (?) silogg, , 373 (3) GATA() f (0) 11070731
vig () FECHT * TERTISSI ( 4 ) fat are atâ (a) gafakta ()
fagm19+1 (73) faz o Huias II focul
वायदि वादो एह पवाही रुसिद इव । ॥१६॥ It will be easily seen that (1) is entirely in Apabhramsa (a) with the ukāra of the Nom. sing. at three places, (b) h for bh which it has in common with the other Prākrirs. (2) is rather obscure, but even without emending it, one finds in it the familiar u and what is more remarkable
jonhaū' in Neuter pointing to the existence in the peoples' language of the tendency of disregarding genders even at such an early date. 'Nei' is also to be noted. In (3) 'Kāņaņau, ussuiyā' and 'sangaiyā' are peculiarly Apabhramsa. Although 'uāya' and 'Kālau' are emended in (4), there is scarcely any doubt (janantau.' In (5) eha' is Apabhramśa.
Thus it is clear, that although Bharata has nowhere mentioned Apabhramsa by name, because it was yet in a crude form still to develope and going under the name Abhīrokti, there is no doubt that the dialect existed in his days. It also seems clears that the home of the speakers was then in the Punjab and upper Sindh. It had yet not high literature of its own and the circle of its speakers was limited to certain nomadic tribes, who as will be seen later, penetrated southwards and eastwards and were assimilated in the Hindu civilisation. It is they, however, who seem to have given to the older Prākrits the Apabhramba form. ; (3) Dharasena: Important for the age of Apabhramsa is a reference to it in an inscription of Dharasena II king of Valabhi (in Surāsţra Kathiawad). Here Dharasena thus speaks about his father.
"His mind was very clever in writing poetical works composed in three languages, Sanskrit, Prākrit and Apabhramsa.”.
Guhasena who is thus described has inscriptions between 559 and 569 A. D. Poetical works in Apabhramsa are therefore attested to in the middle of the 6th century A.D., although none has so far come down to us.
(4) Bhānaba, probably of the end of the 6th century, already knows about the Apabhramsa language, to which he prefers while giving an alternative division of poetry of literature. 13
___II Ind. Ant. संस्कृतप्राकृतापभ्रंशभाषात्रयप्रतिबद्धप्रबन्धरचनानिपुणतरान्तःकरणः etc. quoted by Jacobi, ). c. Intr. p. 55. 12 Bombay Gazetteer Vol I, part I p. 90.
13 शब्दार्थों सहितौ काव्यं गद्यपद्यं च तद्विधा ।
संस्कृतं प्राकृतं चान्यदपभ्रंश इति त्रिधा ॥ १.३६
