Madhuvidya

Author(s): S D Laddu, T N Dharmadhikari, Madhvi Kolhatkar, Pratibha Pingle
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

Page 241

(III)
Pali and Prakrit
TĀKKĪ OR DHAKKI
By M. A. MEHENDALE
Pșthvidhara in the introduction to his commentary on Mịcchakațika classifies the Prakrit dialects used in the play. He has referred to therein to a dialect Dhakkabhāṣā or Dhakkavibhāṣā. This is the sākki of Purusottama' and other Prakrit grammarians. According to Pộthvidhara this dialect is spoken by Mathura and Dyūtakara in the second act of Mịcchakațika. He also mentions some phonetic characteristics of this dialect. The semi-vowel v is found, according to him, many a time in this dialect, and on account of the presence of Sanskrit words it has both the dental and palatal sibilants, s and s. But Mārkandeya in his Prākītasarvasva and Puruşottama in his Prākītānušāsana treat this dialect at some length. A summary of what they have to say about this dialect may be given as follows. They consider the genesis of this dialect to be in the mixture of Sanskrit and Sauraseni.
Morphology : The termination -u appears very often ; the termination of the instrumental singular is also -em. Mārkandeya gives it without anusvāra i.e. -e; the terminations for the dative and ablative plurals are -han and -hum also ; the same terminations can be optionally used for genitive plurals ; Märkandeya suggests that the same terminations can be used for pronouns and then the penultimate vowel is lengthened. Thus kāham, of whom ? tāham, of them, etc.; then, tunga may be employed for tvan. Puruşottama alone says that hamam may be used for ahan. Märkandeya on the contrary gives three forms of the first personal pronoun ammi, hun, mama. The genitive of this pronoun is given by the same author as mahun or mama.
Phonology :-Sanskrit yathā and tathā become jidha and tidhāt in Tākki according to Puruşottama. Märkandeya admits of these two forms and in addition gives the two regular ones jahā and taha.
This is only to indicate the general character of the dialect. The authors clearly say that the rest is to be learnt from the usage in the writings of śistas.
1 NITTI-DOLCI, Le Präkylānusāsana de Purusottama, p. 22.
2 For the acceptance of the reading Takki in favour of Dhakki, cf. JRAS, 1913, pp. 882-3. Cf. also PISCHEL, Gram. d. Pk-Sprachen.
3 Vakäraprāyā Dhakkavibhāsā. Samskytaprāyatve dantyatālav yasasakāradvaya yuktà ca.
. Cf. Pä. idha for Sk, iha. The Pk, forms quoted above bear the same relation to the pronominal bases ya-, ta- as idha bears to i-. On these forms see PISCHEL, 88 103, 266.
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