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INTRODUCTION
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IV. The Five Vibhāṣās according to Mk.
33. Now coming to Vibhāṣā we find that after the first mention of the word in N$ 53 with reference to it it is not noticeable until we come to Pu in the eleventh century. Thereafter though the word is mentioned and discussed by Rt, we do not find a clear and full discussion until we come to Mk. Thus among the Pkt grammarians of the Eastern School only Pu, Mk and Rt discuss it. Mk's approach to the subject indicates a clear vision regarding this term as his discussion embodies good many illustrations. As has been already stated, he quotes an unknown author whom he criti.cises in his introduction to the work. The first two verses of these quoted lines have a striking resemblance with two of the verses of NŚ with the only exception that M is recognised as a Bhāṣā in the former whereas there is no mention of the same in the latter. GRIERSON thinks the second verse to have been quoted from NŚ (see his Pkt Vibhāṣās ), but Mk here actually quotes the lines from the unknown author whom he refutes, and moreover there is slight variation in the reading here.54 Mk however, does not count the language of the foresters as the seventh Vibhāṣā, for he limits the
53. The commentator Abhinavagupta distinguishes between Bhāṣā and Vibhāṣā as follows :
संस्कृतापभ्रंशो भाषा, भाषापभ्रंशस्तु विभाषा. bhāşă is the corruption of Sanskrit, while Vibhāşå of bhāṣā.
54. To this may also be compared the verse cited by Pș in his preface to the comm. on Mş, in which variation in reading such as -śabara as against sacara and sapta kīrtitāḥ as against nătake smrtā is seen. Here Pr interprets vibhāṣāḥ as various dialects ( vividhāḥ bhāṣāḥ) and includes them under the general class of Ap. and says that there are four languages falling under the head of Ap. viz., Sākārị, Cāņdāli, Śäbari and Dhakki ( Tākki ? ).
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