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INTRODUOTION
59
bhāsā, 8. Mlecchi, 9. Kamvī, 10. Mālivī, 11. Kásī, 12. Vedi, 13. Kuramarī, 14. Kusumaüttayabhāsā, 15. Sůraseņā, 16. Paņdī, 17. Bhojí, 18. Gujjarabhāsā, 19. Romayabbāsā, 20. Vamga, 21. Mayabhāsā, 22. Māravabbāsā, 23. Lāvamdi, 24. Pañcapattalībhaņia, 25. Kāsiyā and 26. Jaraṇabhāsā.
As will be seen from the above descussion that the former list is not consistent with the latter. Excepting a few such as Kirāī ( = Kirāti ), Mecchi ( = Mlecchi ), Mālivi ( Mālavi? ), Kāśī (= Kaśīsambhavā ), Sūraseņā (=Sūrasenikā), Gujjarabhāṣā ( = Gurjarī ) and Pañcapattalibhaạia (= Pañcapattanā ?), all the rest in the second list appear to be totally new ones. Curiously enough, Desī appears to be a separate dialect here. It is quite probable that some of the portions of the ori. ginal work have been lost. Besides, the existing text requires critical editing.
It will also be interesting to note that excepting Mahārāştrī, Sūraseņā and Māgaha ( if the latter two are to be taken as equivalent to Ś and Mg. at all), no other dialect as enumerated under the class of bhāşās and vibhāṣās in NS is to be found in the above lists of Gitālankāra. But in PS we find the mention of some more dialects in similarity perhaps with those found in Gitālarkāra. They are Kāñci (= Kāñcyā ), Mālavi ( Mālava ), Gurjari ( = Gaurjara ), Kuntalā ( = Kauntala ) and Madhyadesi ( = Madhyadesiya ).
The next authority and perhaps the earliest among the extant grammars is the Prākrtaprakāśa of Vararuci. In it we find the mention of four dialects, i. e., Mahārāştrī, Paišācī, Māgadhi and Saurasenī. Mk takes all these into account in his grammar but in a
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