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that the Gathās were intended for the amusement of a rich and cultured audience. The humour was at the cost of the simple and somewhat foolish people inhabiting the villages of Maharashtra. The Gathās themselves are mainly monologues spoken by these villagers. In this connection the use of a Prākrit dialect may well have been determined by the intention to give their words a rustic and local flavour. This explanation presupposes pride in the knowledge of Sanskrit on the part of the audience as well as of the authors." The above view seems at least partly to be supported by the way Prākrit dialects were used in the dramas, providing an indication of the character's status being lower than that of one speaking Sanskrit. -
