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VARIANT FORMS OF THE LOCATIVE IN MIDDLE INDO-ARYAN 85
LA SCHWARZSCHILD (148.26). In the few verse sections of this text locatives in mi are found without any special emphasis: bhavanaramuddama jhamm *in the middle of this ocean of existence' (322.26). The same situation prevails in the Miharastri texts edited by Jacobi (1886). The distribution of locative endings in the Vasudevahindi is thus not a random one, the use of as opposed to shows the difference between early Mahārüstri prose and verse style.
In later narrative texts mi is more prevalent but the usage is still not indiscriminate. The locative in prevails in the following conditions:
But this differentiation between nouns and adjectives is by no mcans an absolute rule, even in this text. The ending - mi does occur with nouns, though rarely, and it seems to convey greater emphasis and urgency: gakio kumāro kamrammi the prince was seized by the neck (137.20).
There is abundant evidence throughout narrative Jain literature of the other closely linked tendencies, the survival of the ending in the immediate environment of the verb and in fixed locutions, thus antie 'in the vicinity of usually occurs before the verb and is very common, while antianmi is hardly, if ever, found. In fixed locutions such as place-names and times of day or of the year, the ending is used almost exclusively, e.g. paose 'in the evening, Mayanamalūsave 'at the time of the great springfestival'. That this usage was basic to Middle Indo-Aryan prose is proved further by the Niya inscriptions, where - occurs mainly in samvatsare, mase, divase used in dating formulas (Burrow 1937: 24).
(a) in nouns rather than in adjectives (b) in formulaic expressions and fixed locutions
(c) in the immediate environment of the verb. This is evident as a general tendency, though not as an absolute rule in Maharlistrí, Jain Maharastri and Jain Sauraseni, though there are numerous stylistic differences between the various texts. There is evidence of this tendency sometimes even in verse, e.g, in the Dharmopadešamala-vinarana where the distinction in the locative ending may serve as a means of differentiating a noun from an adjective: patte pottammi (p. 2, v. 3) which is rendered in the commentary by patre (noun, locative), prapte (adjective, locative). This distinction is most noticeable in the prose of the Kuvalayamala:
ruddammi bhana-samudde flagga-laddhammi kaha i manyatte (adj.) (noun) (adj.)
(noun) 'in this most dreadful ocean of existence where birth as a human being is obtained only by the rarest chance (p. 2.1.12). erisammi ja samaye 'and at such a time' (195.1) (adj.) (noun) diharammi samsāre 'in this long circuit of mundane existence'. (adj.) (noun)
E. CONCLUSION A glance at the paradigms listed in Prikrit grammars may give the impression that there are a variety of different endings which could be used indiscriminately in Middle Indo-Aryan. The texts, however, show that many of these are regional and chronological variants possibly indicating scribal traditions, and some of them are of stylistic significance. The cases of optional usage emphasise the fact that the Jain texts reflects a living and evolving language, and have subtlcties of expression that may often escape us.
REFERENCES
Texts quoted:
Acardiga-Satra, ed. W. Schubring, Leipzig 1910 (Abhandlungen für die Kunde des
Mergenlandes, Vol. XII, No. 1).
Ausgewählte Erihlung in Maharastri, ed. Hermann Jacobi, Leipzig 1886.
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