Kansvaho

Author(s): Rama Paniwada, A N Upadhye
Publisher: Motilal Banarasidas

Page 47

xlvi
KAMSAVAHO
of the Present and u in that of the Imperative. There are only two cases of the termination du in the Imperative, and I should call them exceptional occurrences. It may be noted that even a rigorous editor like WEBER retains the termination -du once in his text of Sattasai (verse 878) which is written in Mähärăştri. About the changes of r there is no uniformity: it is changT ed to a, i or u; and sometimes the same word shows two different forms (maa i. 50 & mia ii. 20). As to ks it is usually changed to kkh, but in a few words to cch. So far as the root preks is concerned, both pekkha and peccha are available (ii. 11, iv. 11). The other Mahārāṣṭrī characteristics found in our author's dialect are the usual change of aspirates to h; the change of ry to jj; the Abl. sing. in -a, the Loc. sing. in -mmi; the Passive in -ijj; the Future in -hi- ; and the Gerund in -ūna. In literary languages vocabulary is not a reliable criterion to distinguish one dialect from the other; and therefore I have not scrutinised words like laṭṭhi which are restricted by certain grammarians for specific dialects.
Taking into account the essential characteristics of Saurasexi and Mahārāşṭrī, I might state, in conclusion, that the Prākrit dialect of Kamsavaho should be called Mahārāṣṭrī; and as the author belongs to the decadent period of Prakrit literature and as he is thoroughly acquainted with the prose of the dramas, he shows some of the traits of Sauraseni as well.
VI)
In the Notes I have given the metrical analysis of every chapter at the close of it; and I have also added there the mātrā-scheme and the author's definitions of different Vṛttas. Rama Panivada has composed a treatise on classical metres, so I have mainly adopted his terminology; and just in a few cases I have noted the variant names :
METRES IN KAMSAVAHO.