Jain Journal 1979 10

Author(s): Jain Bhawan Publication
Publisher: Jain Bhawan Publication

Page 13

50
Prakrit literature is also endowed with ornate and stylistic poetic tales and prose-romances like the Setubandha, the Gauḍavaho, the Kuvalayamālā, the Lilāvai, the Samaraiccakahā, etc. which have influenced some branches of modern Indian literature including that of Kannada. Some of them give realistic pen-pictures of the social and cultural life of medieval India. But the Dhūrtākhyāna of Haribhadra (8th century A.D.) is a unique satire in Indian literature. It takes a critical view of the Hindu Puranic legends.
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Now coming, lastly, to the dramatic literature, we have half a dozen purely Prakrit dramas which are called Saṭṭakas. The Karpūramañjarī is the earliest available one composed by Rajasekhara (10th century A.D.). The term Saṭṭaka21 has a Dravidian element viz., ața (meaning play) which word is also used even today for the crude type of play enacted in rural Karnataka i.e., āța or bailāṭa, suggesting thereby that the Saṭṭaka had a popular origin. 22 Leaving aside the Saṭṭakas, almost every Sanskrit drama has its Prakrit portions i.e., some characters speak in Prakrit in its various dialects. The early dramas of Asvaghosa, Bhasa, Sudraka, Kalidasa etc. are bound to present the linguistic picture of the contemporary society, whereas the later ones used the Prakrit dialects conventionally. In the Mṛcchakaṭikam and the Vikramorvaśīyam, the number of Prakrit-speaking characters is greater than that of the Sanskrit-speaking ones. Scholars hold that Prakrit portions of the early Sanskrit dramas contain valuable linguistic heritage of India.
In conclusion, now, I would sum up the contribution of Prakrit literature to Indian culture :
Prakrit literature contains a wonderful linguistic, literary and spiritual heritage that has considerably influenced the Modern Indian languages and literature, Aryan and some of the Dravidian too. It records the noble thoughts and messages of Asoka, one of the greatest monarchs of the world. The canonical section of Prakrit literature presents some brilliant chapters in the history of human thought. They may be said to be Ahimsa (non-violence), Syādvāda (propounding respect for others' views) and Gṛhastha-dharma (ideal code of conduct for the layman, leading towards social health). It has preserved and propagated such lofty spiritual and ethical ideologies that have helped to nourish among
21 Rajasekhara tells in his Karpuramanjari that the Sattaka is to be danced. 22 According to I. Shekhar, the Sanskrit drama has come to the Aryans from the Dravidians and Pre-Aryans. Vide Introduction to the Sanskrit Drama: Its Origin and Decline, Leiden, 1960.