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5. THE PRAKRIT AND APABHRAMSA RĀMĀYAŅAS
(1) Introductory
We know that in all the centuries subsequent to Vyāsa's Mahābhärata and Vālmiki's Rāmāyaṇa numberless adaptations, reworkings and translations (of the whole or of particular parts) of those two epics have been produced in numerous Indian and non-Indian languages down to the present day. As literary media Prakrits were in use side by side with Sanskrit over more than fifteen cenruries. So it can be naturally presumed that there must have appeared several compositions on the narrative of Rāma in Prakrit paralleling those in Sanskrit, in both the traditions, Brahminical and Jainistic. In fact such a presumption is borne out so far as the Jainistic tradition is concerned : We have with us several full or abridged versions of Jaina Rāmāyaṇas in Prakrit. Nothing has been known, however, about the Rāmāyaṇa compositions in Prakrit in the Brahminical tradition. Nothing has been preserved and so pobody has noted so far any references to such works, if they were at all written. (2) The Brahminical tradition
This utterly hopeless situation is now slightly relieved through an unexpected source. From a few references available in a ninth century work on Prakrit prosody, we come to know for the first time something definite about Brahminical Rāmāyanas in Prakrit and Apabhraíśa. The Svayambhūcchandas of Svayambhūdeva gives numerous citations from earlier Prakrit and Apabhramśa works to illustrustrate various metres it defines. This gives us a glimpse into the extensive and rich literature of high excellence that is unfortunately all but lost. Among these citations there are a few in the Prakrit section and slightly more than that in the Apabharamsa Section, which pertain to the theme of Rāmāyaṇa. So far as these
1. This remark is with regard to works dealing with the complete
Rāmāyaṇa narrative. Prakrit poems - Mahākāvyas-in the VedicBrakmaņic tradition, based on particular episodes (e.g. the Setubandha, the lost Rāvanavijaya) are of course well known.
