Jain Journal 1990 10

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

Page 12

OCTOBER, 1990
51
a way which no other Indian literary works, especially the Brahman ones, do." (History of Indian Literature, pp. 545-46).
(vi) Prakrit Scientific Literature :
(a) Vyākarana:
About the scientific literature written in Prakrit, very few works have been edited. In the domain of Prakrit grammar lots of works are unearthed, but they are very late in origin. The characteristic features of Prakrit as given in most of the works are new and do not always conform with the usage. But one thing is interesting in them that the Prakrit grammarians have sometimes included some of the vernacular words which are regarded as Prakrit. For example, in the Caryāgiti, an old Bengali text, some of the words are found in the works of some grammarians; e.g., athi--Pkt. atthi'seed (R.T.I.3.9.), keha-Skt. kidrsa (R.T. III. 1.6.), khādā-Pkt. khanda Skt, khadga (R.T. III.2.3.), gruPkt. gomia Skt. gomika (R.T. II.2.24.) ; which probably goes back to gaulmika, an officer-in-charge of a gulma, a small part of an army, car--cāri Skt. catur (R.T.III.1.31.), cikhila-Pkt. cikhilla (Kramadisvara's sutra cikhilla picchile), chādan-Pkt. chāndania (7 chādani)
-Skt. sandānita, 'fetters', (R.T.III.1.3.), tin-Pkt. tinni (R.T.III.1.3.), nāc(h)--Pkt. nacchā, lacchā Skt. rathyā, cf. Beng. lāch, nâch, cf. nāc(h)-duar (front door) (R.T.I.3.5.), pirthimi (Beng. diat)-prthumi (*7 prithumi) Skt. pythivi (R.T.III.3.4.), be(y)adā—Pkt. viaddha Skt. vitradi, obstinate, (R.T.I.3.10.), maļā-Pkt. madaa Skt. mstaka (R.T.II.2.29.), meye (daughter)-Pkt. mãiā Skt. mātr-kā (R.T.II.2.24.), a woman, then a daughter.
The study of Prakrit grammar is very essential for understanding the development of Indo-Aryan Vocabulary. There are some aspects even of Sanskrit words which are preserved by Prakrit grammarians. For example, in Hemacandra's Prakrit grammar, some remarks have been made in the Vrttis of some sütras which give us some new information about the development of some words; e.g., tarani is both masculine and feminine in Sanskrit, but in Prakrit it is used only in the masculine (tarani-sabdasya pum-stri-lingatvena niyamārtham upādānam—under pravrt-sarat-taranayah pumsi 1.31). Hemacandra says that the word pathin has three developments-patha, pathi and pantha. The word patha is used in Sanskrit as a last member of a compound, such as, rājapatha, whereas pathi is also used in a compound, but as a first member, e.g., pathibhrasta or in a word like pathika. Pantha/panthā is a weakgrade form of pathin used in declension. This piece of information