Proceedings of the Seminar on Prakrit Studies 1973

Author(s): K R Chandra, Dalsukh Malvania, Nagin J Shah
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

Page 153

112
The Marathi word ' is derived from the Sk. word 'a'. The rule that is applicable here is 1.183, according to which '' in the words like 'किरात' changes to 'च'. According to this rule it would be 'चन्दुअ', Then, by 1.57ff. ' changes to '; and then by I.217' changes to '', Pkt. वाऊल)
For the formation of the Marathi word 'वाउडा' (Sk. वातुल, we can apply Hema. I.251. The last ('' and '' being treated as identical) changes to '', as in the case of words like 'किरि', 'भेर' etc. enumerated by Hemacandra in this Sutra.
Examples of prothesis are noted by Hemacandra in II.110ff. This phenomenon is present in a number of Marathi words, used especially by the rustlc; e.g. ‘मारग' (Sk. मार्ग), 'घरम' (Sk धर्म), 'भगत' (Sk. भक्त) etc.
So also metathesis or
' noted by Hemacandra in II.116ff. in case of words like 'करेणू', 'अचलपुर' etc. is to be seen in certain Marathi words like काख- खाक, अडाणी - अनाडी, नुकसान - नुसकान, दुन्ध-धुन्द etc.
Thus, the examples given above show that many of the rules used for the formation of Prakrit words-their derivation from Sanskrit words-can be applicable to the formation of Marathi words. They also show that though every Marathi word is not necessarily derived through the Prakrits, those Marathi words, which are directly derived from Sanskrit, can be so derived by the application of the rules used in the derivation of Prakrit words from Sanskrit words, and that as far as the Prakrit languages and later Indian languages like Marathi, which owe a majority of their words to them, are concerned, they all have similar tendencies in the formation of their words.