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

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THE ARDHAMAGADHI LANGUAGE OF THE PRAKRIT GRAMMAR OF HEMACANDRA
8. In the sūtra 8.2.17 'ks' is equated with 'ochand it is stated in the vrtti that ärse ikkhū khīraṁ särikkham ityādyapi drsyante', i.e., 'ks' changes to 'kkh, too. In the Ashokan inscriptions, this is the pecularity of the Eastern region. In other regions 'cch' is found. Later on in all the regions 'och' and ‘kkh' are found simultaneously (Mehendale, p.217) 9. In the vrtti on the sūtra 8.1.57, the statement ārse purekamman'has been quoted by way of an example of as' = 'e, thus puraḥ = pure. This process belongs to the Eastern region. In the Ashokan inscriptions, 'e'occurs in the case of the forms of the Nominative as also the Ablative and Genitive Singular of the words wherein the visarga is found at the end with the preceding vowel-a-, i.e. -aḥ. The usages nāmate and ņāmate (for nāmataḥ) are found in the Isibhāsiyāim (Adh. 22 and 31, pp.43.9 and 69.20, respectively). 10. The case termination '-e'of the Nominative Singular of the Masculine Nouns ending in a, is the principal characteristic of the Ardhamāgadhī, as per the sūtra 8.4.287; this is the linguistic peculiarity of the Eastern India. 11. While mentioning the forms “abbavi'and 'abbavi' (for abravit of the root brū) of the past tense, it is stated in the vrtti (on the sūtra 8.3.162) that 'árse devindo inam abbavi, i.e., the form in the Ardhamāgadhi is abbavī. And, the form bemi (=bravimi) of the Present Tense has been given as an example in the vștti statement ārse bemi'(on the sūtra 8.4.238).
Both these forms are archaic and are generally found in the most ancient Prakrit works only". Such forms are not found in the later Prakrit literature. Similar forms are found to occur in the senior works of the Pāli literature, too". 12. While explaining, in the sútra 8.1.206, the change of 't'to d'in the affix of the Past Passive Participle, the vștti states that krta changes to kada, as in dukkadan, sukadam, and hata to hada, as in āhadam, avahadam.
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