Comparative Study of Language of Shatkhandagama and Pravachansara

Author(s): K R Chandra
Publisher: Z_Nirgrantha_1_022701.pdf and Nirgrantha_2_022702.pdf and Nirgrantha_3_022703.pdf

Page 1

THE COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE LANGUAGE
OF THE SATKHANDĀGAMA AND THE PRAVACANASĀRA
K. R. Chandra
Th Satkhandāgama' and the Pravacanasăraare regarded as 'senior' texts of the Siddhanta by the Digambara sect of the Jains. The dates of their composition are uncertain, varying as they do from early Christian centuries to sixth and eighth century A. D. Some scholars assign earlier date to the Satkhandāgama whereas others to the Pravacanasāra. The authors of the former work according to the commentator Vīrasena (A. D. 815) are Puspadanta and Bhūtabali, and of the latter, the illustrious Kundakundācārya. A study of the language of the above-noted two texts is attempted for deciding on the chronological priority of the one over the other. This study covers the PS fully whereas the SA's four parts of the ist volume are covered. The editors of these works in their Introductions, claim that their language seem to be of the earlier Christian centuries. I here propose to test the validity (or otherwise) of their claims through the study of the linguistic usages that are available in these texts. In the beginning, we will compare the main features of their language with that of the grammar of Sauraseni as quoted by Hemacandra'. (i) Initial and medial dental n-, --- -7 -7-), conjuncts-nn-(-)and -ññ-(-5), and conjunct of palatal nasal with a palatal consonant -nc- (3) are optionally quoted by Hemacandra in his Prakrit grammar, e.g. 712, fafel, af, 976 71, , 317, 3981, but in the śA and the PS there throughout is used. The cerebral nasal n., -n-, -nnand anuswara - for palatal (-ñ-) (ii) Hemacandrācārya prescribes the augment -ssi- (- -) for the future tense, e.g.
faftis, feta, etc. but in the PS we come across -ssa (-1) only, e.g. f ifa 7.70, sauf 8.44. (iii) The bhuv- and huv- stems of the root vbhū as quoted by Hemacandra, e.g. bhuvadi, huvadi are not traced in the SA and the PS. In the text of Ps, Upadhye at times has adopted words of the usage of Mahārāstrī when the variants in the MSS. are of the Sauraseni usage.
Pravacanasāra, Ch. I
Text
Verse no.
verse no.
२४,२५
56!
६८
(A) Text
अहिओ लोय सयलं
Variant
अधिगो लोग सकलं
क्
Variant जधा तध तधा
तह
8,8€ ५३,६८,७६
३४ -
तहा
थ्