Contribution of Jainas to Sanskrit and Prakrit Literature

Author(s): Vasantkumar Bhatt, Jitendra B Shah, Dinanath Sharma
Publisher: Kasturbhai Lalbhai Smarak Nidhi Ahmedabad

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Generic Relationships of Prakrit Languages in the Vedas
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samdhāya'; (8) addition of a vowel between conjunct consonants, as in 'sahasriya' (YV 15.52) for 'sahasrya'; (9) the ending 'o' in Nominative singular of Mas. words ending in 'a', as in 'so cit' (RV 1.191.10) for 'sah cit' or 'sas cit'; (10) the termination 'bhis' (=hi) in instrumental plural of words ending in 'a', as in 'devebhiḥ” (= devehi) for 'devaih'; (11) use of genetive for dative, as in puruşa-m?gaś candramasah' (YV 24.35) for 'purusamrgaś candramase'; (12) usages like: 'uccā', 'nicā', 'paścā' in Ablative sing.; (13) use of plural in the place of dual, as in 'nară, and 'aśvina' (RV. 1.3.2) for 'narau' and 'aśvinau.'
In the Avesta, Prakrit and Apabhraísa one finds a vowel followed by a vowel without coalescence, as in the Vedic 'titau' (RV. 10.71.2).
Pandit Bechardas Doshi and Dr. K. R. Chandra has enumerated the following aspects of the structure of the Vedic Sanskrit as evincing a close generic relationship with the Prakrit16 : Both the Vedic Sanskrit and the Prakrit seem to possess the practice of various applicability (bahulādhikära) as regards the rules of coalescence, affix, root-class, root-termination, and etc., since they apply at times, do not apply at times, are optional at times and are quite different at times. Thus, we find usages like 'hanati' (=hanati/hanai) for 'hanti', 'dāti' (=dāti/dāi) for 'dadāti', 'vardhantu' (=vaddhantu) for 'vardhayantu', 'icchate' (ricchae) for ficchati', 'preksati' (= pecchai) for 'preksāṁcakre', genitive case for instrumental or dative, accusative case for genitive, locative for dative and ablative, loss of final consonant, loss of p and y' in conjunct consonants, use of 'dh' for 'h' or 'th' and 'j' for 'dy', 'Por !' for 'd', loss of intervocalic y or V, ' for 'd', shortening of the final vowel, final '-o' for final Visarga, loss of one
na conjunct one and lengthening of the preceding vowel, variety of subjunctives and infinitives, as also of imperatives and past passive participles, use of adjectives not declined in harmony with the substantive. On the basis of this similarity of linguistic tendencies, Pandit Bechardas Doshi has concluded that the sources or roots of the extensive Prakrit language in its various dialects lie in the ancient Vedic language which was very widely prevalent in the hoary past of the Vedic Times, thousands of years before the current Indian or European Eras. In the light of this the statement of the Vedic seer Nemo Bhargava in the Rgveda (RV 8.100.ii) that the gods generated the divine speech and it is spoken by all species of beings—human as well as subhuman or animals', this extensive divine speech was being spoken with numerous modifications by different groups of people in different areas of the ancient
world, as is adduced by Patañjali, the author of Mahābhāsya on Panini, in his