Mahavira Jain Vidyalay Suvarna Mahotsav Granth Part 1

Author(s): Mahavir Jain Vidyalaya Mumbai
Publisher: Mahavir Jain Vidyalay

Page 656

The Non-inflected Genitive In Apabhramsa
S. N. GHOSAL
HEMACANDRA in his Prakrit grammar (IV. 395) has prescribed the
occasional loss of inflection in the genitive and expressed his approval for the use of such un-inflected forms in the Apabhramsa dialect. He does it not of his own accord but in pursuance of a rule. of the Valmiki-sütras, which are assumed to be the original sources, to which the Prakrit grammars of the Western school owe their existence. This practice of employing the uninflected forms for the genitive was being followed thus by way of tradition for a long time and people engaged in literary pursuits, who had utilised this Ap. speech as a literary medium, did not hesitate to make use of such uninflected forms, as these were considerd quite natural to the speech by the people. In course of providing illustrations of his sütras Hemacandra has shown the use of the non-inflected genitive by citing one verse. and there are some more verses in his Prakrit grammar, which bear clear evidence for such use in Ap. during his times.
Now Jacobi in his Bhavisattakaha (Grammatik §23) has expressed grave doubts regarding the occurrence and use of the non-inflected genitives in Ap., which Hemacandra authoritatively sanctions by the above-mentioned sutra. He suggests that the forms, which are recognised as instances of the non-inflected genitive, may be easily explained quite differently-rather as the preceding members of some