________________
236
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[AUGUBT, 1906.
Bestehens der Königl. Gesellschaft der Wissen- he has retained the ya-bruli where it occurs, and schaften; compare also 1. 4. XX. pp. 201 ff.; has left the dental in cases where a cerebral » Göttinger Nachrichten, 1893, pp. 552 ff.). There would have been more correct. In doing so, le is further an old tradition to the effect that is in agreement with grammarians such as the Hanumannataka was originally engraved Hêmachandra. The ya-fruti is generally used by on stone. This tradition receives a new support
Jainas, and the change of an uncompound dental from the find of the Dbâr inscription.
n to the cerebral n, which is prescribed as a general
rule by Vararuchi (ii. 42), cannot, at any time, The Pavittamalliart is also of interest in other have prevailed in the spoken vernaculars. respects. Its poetical value is small, though it Hémachandra excepts such cases where then is contains several beautiful passages of greater initial. Old Prakrit inscriptions and modern interest is the fact that it has been composed as
vernaculars seem to show that Hamachandra waa a kind of panegyric on a living person, the king nearer to the truth than Vararuchi. The Arjunavarman, who figures as the hero of the
Prakrits, as we know them from plays, had early play. It is possible, though it cannot be proved,
become literary languages which must be learnt that Professor Hultzsch is right in assuming that
from books. Their base, however, was the actual his queen. Sarvakald, and the heroine. Pariista. speech of the people in very old times. That is mafijart, are likewise real persons and not
the case not only with Saurasêni, but also with invented by the author, and that the latter was
Maharashtrì, which dialect cannot be characteriz not of royal blood, but owed her elevation ouly
ed as an attempt to imitate the indistinct language to her personal charms. This latter supposition
of singers. That is proved by the use of a dialect
which can, with the same right as Maharashtri, certainly receives some support from the play itself. It is a well-known fact that the heroine
be described as "emasculated stuff" by an of & Natika should be a princese (see, e.g..
important Indian sect in their religious books, Dabardpa, ed. Hall, III. 427). That is also the
and by the fact that the dropping of unaspirated case with the heroine of our play. She is not, single consonants between vowels must necessarily however, said to be born in & natural way in
be presupposed in order to explain the vocabulary a royal family, but we are asked to believe that
of Marathi, the modern descendant of Maharashtrf. the daughter of a Chaulukya king of Gujarat,
With regard to the use of the dental and cerebral whom Arjunavarman had defeated, found her
nasals, Marathi agrees with Hêmachandra's rule: death in the struggle but was reborn as a cluster
an old uncompounded n between vowels becomes of P&rijata-blossoms, which was afterwards
| », while an initial n and a double or compounded transformed into a woman. This fantastic tale
u is retained as dental. I therefore think that beoomes very reasonable under the supposition Professor Hultzsch is quite right in not correcting that the poet wanted to introduce a really living every n to n. In such cases the author has lady, who was not of royal blood, as the heroine been influenced by the practice in the actual of his Näţika, without infringing the rule that vernaculars. the heroine must be a princess. The Parijatamasjari contains several passages
Professor Hultzsch's edition of the text is in Prakrit. Only two Prakrit dialects are used,
excellent, as might be expected from so careful vis., Sauras@nt in prose passages and Maharashtri
& scholar. He has introduced the spelling in verses. The two dialects are not always
common in modern critical editions, but has correctly distinguished. Thus we find forms such
made some slight alterations in a few places. as piñjarijanta, mihuna, caüranga, kavalidammi,
I am not sure that he is right in altering pechchha, &c., in Saurasêni, and sahido, nijjida, pamphulla on p. 2, 1. 10, and muhayanda, p. 3, 1.6. ods, &c., in MahArashtri. On the whole, however,
On the whole, however, I think that everybody the Prakrit is fairly correct. This fact is of some
will be thankful to the editor for his sound interest, because it shows that the art of writing
criticism. A Sanskrit translation of the Prakrit a comparatively correct Prakrit had not been lost
passages, which has been added by the in the 19th century, though the PrÅkrit dialects
editor, will prove to be a great help to students. themselves had censed to be spoken vernaculars
The book will, on the whole, be a most centuries before that time."
convenient text-book for University lectures and
examinations. Professor Hultzsch has edited the Prakrit passages as he found them on the stono. Thus
STEN KONow.
