Jain Journal 1999 07

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

Page 59

BANERJEE : PRAKRIT IN THE MAURYA EMPIRE
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reference to Ardhamāgadhi where it is said that lord Mahāvīra preached his doctrines in common man's language known as Ardha-māgadhi (bhagavam ca nam Addha-magahie bhāsāe dhammam āikkhaiSamavāyanga 898). Almost at the same time Buddha, a contemporary of Mahāvīra, also preached his doctrines in common man's language which was later on known as Pali, though it is said in one couplet that Buddha used to speak his doctrines in common man's language which was Māgadhi. (sā Magadhī mūlabhāsā narāyāyādikappikā/ brahmaņā cassutālāpā sambuddhā cāpi bhāsare//) These two statements as found in their respective literature gave us this clue that the two lords preached their doctrines in the then spoken languages known as Ardhamāgadhi or (old) Māgadhi and Māgadhi respectively. The Māgadhi which is known from a later dramatic literature is, perhaps, different from the Māgadhi of Buddha.
Apart from these two languages there was another type of Prakrit found in inscriptional languages. These inscriptional languages are not recorded in any literary documents available today. But these inscriptional languages formed a group by themselves and as such, the modern name 'Inscriptional Prakrit' is given to them. Inscriptions discovered till the time of the Mauryan empire are mainly the inscriptions of Asoka scattered at different parts of India and each inscription of Asoka proved the dialectal differences among themselves. Almost at the same time we have another inscription in Sutānukā known as Sutanukā inscription which is different from Asoka's. As this inscription is found in the Eastern zone of India, scholars think that this inscription is influenced by Māgadhi. After that we have also some inscriptions belonging upto 2nd cent A.D. and these are Heliodoras' inscription and so on. Thus far is the existence of Prakrit during the time of the Mauryan empire.
Side by side with Prakrit and Sanskrit we have another language, known as Pali. Though the name Pali is given to this language, perhaps, at a very later date, Buddha spoke in common man's language, was true. One of the interesting references found in the Cullavagga (V. 33) or Vinayapitaka (II. 139.1) is the fact that some Buddha's disciples used to speak a type of language other than Buddha's language, which was very near to Vedic Sanskrit. Some of his disciples complained to Buddha that the Lord's language is being mutilated by this speech which is known as chanda, that is, Vedic Sanskrit. The word chandaso sakkāya is used to refer to that language. This incident, perhaps, shows that people used to speak a type of Sanskrit which can be termed as Popular Sanskrit. As regards Sanskrit, as has already been discussed above, it can be said that 600 B.C. was a time of the