Comprehensive Critical Dictionary of Prakrit Languages Volum 01

Author(s): A M Ghatage
Publisher: Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute

Page 27

(20) The self-explanatory nature of the abbreviations of metres are given in Sanskrit as they also deal with books will depend upon the system used in forming them. Sanskrit metres. With a complete listing of the names of The syllabic writing used in Indian literature makes it the tooks with their abbreviations supplied, no difficulty necessary to abbreviate the names to the first syllable by should be met with in this regard. using the principle of acronomy. It may also require us to split the same into its constituent elements and
VII. THE PLAN OF THE DICTIONARY use this principle for each one of its parts and indicate This dictionary inclules in its scope a group of the division by using the capital letter for the first syllable languages and makes use of a literature of varying types. of each such part. Most of the names will consist of It has perforce to use a large number of works which are two or thres such units and very rarely four or more will not critically edited, and those which can be called carebe required. Further abbreviations may be used in the fully edited are based on df rent principles for different cirse of words which designate the nature of the book editors. The books them elves often show a shorter and or its category. Such words are usually found at the a longer version, particularly in the case of the Ardnaend, and sometimes at the begirning of the name.
Māgidhi canon. The divisions of a given text are done Names of books in Prakrit involve a problem which
differently by erch editor which makes it well-nigh must be take note of. It is bat natural to expect that
impossible by the given reference to use the commentary the names of Prakrit works should be in Irakrit. But in
on a given text, when the editors of the two are different.
Indices are prepared by the editors in such a way that the course of time with the increased importance of Sanskrit,
original divisions of he book are neglected and reterences aided by the tendency to write the commentaries in Sanskrit, the Sanskrit versions of the Praktit titles come
cannot be easily trared. All these considerations have into constant use. The later writers usually used them
made it necessary to adopt a complex system for the in preference to the Prakrit names. Hence by the mere
dictionary which needs some detailed explanation to faci
litate its use. pame of a work it is not always clear wbether it is in Prakrit or in Sanskrit. A number of Prakrit works A typical entry in the dictionary is made up of the are known only by their Sanskrit names and these following elements, ou a definite order: cannot be replaced by newly coined Prakrit names. The
1. name used by a long-standing tradition must be given
The lemma ( in Devapāgari ). due importance in this regard.
2. Transliteration of the Prakrit word, and its
derivation or etymology given in the form of transliterated This dictionary uses Prakrit names of Prakrit
word, and enclosed in parenthesis. works as far as possible. As a rule the rames of the
3. Alternative forms of the given word in Devabooks of the Ardha-Magadhi canon are given in their
nagarī in square brack:13 The quotation from the Kosas Prakrit form being well-attested in the canon itself. In
and grainmatical wurk dealing with the word are included the case of later works the Prakrit title is given and it
here. it cannot be easily traced or is not found in the work itself, the Sanskrit name is given with an indication
4. The Parts of Speech in lialics. that it is in Prakrit by adding into parenthesis (Pkt.).
5. The Meanings in English. If the work is in mixed Sanskrit and Prakrit, as in case . After each meaning there follow the quotations of the dramas or the proto-canonical works of the from Prakrit works, arranged in a spec.fic order. Digambara sect, the Sanskrit name is preferred. In 7. Cross references where necessary. the case of the 12 and for the Prakrit pame is followed by the Prakrit forms and foot and in case of a
1. Lemma Sanskrit name and yfót for the sake of consistency. Besides the regular phonetic changes which the Considerations like being better known decide the choice Prakrit grammar ans describe as being applicable to the of सेतुबंध for रावणवह, कुमारपालपडियो tor जिगधम्मपडियोह, Sanskrit words, thy alo prescribe some changes as and har for 770 The names of *s are being peculiar and applicable to the Sanskrit base of the given in Prakrit. The names of Prakrit Grammars are word: ( Hem. (Gr.) 1. 15-22). Thus the consonantal replaced by the names of their authors with the addition endings of the basic word are either dropped or themaof Gr. added in parenthesis. From among the aiter- tised by adding the vowel to them and in the case of native names of a book, as far as possible, the older feminine nouns the suffix is naturally - or -7 lp the case pame is selected as in the case of Viyahapinnatti for of Sanskrit Doubs ending is vowels like some changes Bhagavatīsutra. The names of works dealing with Prakrit occur before the case-tudiugs (Hem. Gr.) 3. 44 toll. ).