In Search of the Original Ardhamagadhi English Translation

Author(s): K R Chandra, N M Kansara, Nagin J Shah, Ramniklal M Shah
Publisher: Prakrit Text Society Ahmedabad

Page 108

8. PRINCIPAL CHARACTERISTICS OF ARCHAIC
OR ORIGINAL ARDHAMĀGADHĪ
The language that was spoken in half region of the Magadha country or the language which contained half of its characteristics as similar to those of the Māgadhī language and the other half which were prevalent in the neighbouring regions was known by the name Ardhamāgadhī. Keeping this tradition in mind, and on the basis of the archaic usages that have still survived in the Prakrit grammar, ancient Pāli literature i.e., senior Pāli works, ancient and senior Ardhamāgadhi works and manuscripts of the Agama literature, Cūrnis etc., the indigenous characteristics of the original Ardhamāgadhi can be determined, and those characteristics can serve as our guide for editing the ancient works whose seniority or antiquity can be determined on the basis of the topic of contents, style and metre of the individual Ardhamāgadhi work. I may humbly put forth the main characteristics of Amg. as follows : 1. In the case of the Indeclinables in Samskrta with initial
y-', if 'a-'is found in the place of y-, it should be given preference. The medial unaspirate consonants should not be elided, as is generally done in the case of the Mahārāștri. (It cannot be denied that the process of eliding medial consonants has been encouraged in course of time due to the recitational facility of the text with predominance
of vowels.) 3. Generally it would not be proper to prefer the medial
-h-' in the place of the medial aspirate consonants. The medial -k'or the 'g-'found in its place, as also the original medial -g-' should be preferred. The medial '-t-' should not be elided with the impression that it is -t- of the phonetic change (i.e.-t- śruti), since the interpolation of the -t-śruti in manuscript - writing belongs to a very late period.
2.
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