Proceedings of the Seminar on Prakrit Studies 1973

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

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Asokan edicts and other Prakrit inscriptions in Karnatak, including those found at Sannathi and Belvadgi, on one hand, and the available early Kaonada inscriptions, on the other, would yield some tangible result. I could however, note some Prakrit terms in some of Sravanabelgoļa inscriptions of c. 700 A.D. : moni (S.B. 8,20), risi (S.B. 13) saddhamma (S.B. 29) etc.5
The Kavirajamārga is first available Kannada work and is supposed to have been composed br Nrpatunga (814-877 A.D:), the Rāstrakı and disciple of Ācārya Jinasena. It is a woek on rhetorics and, hence, presupposes earlier forms of literature. It tells us that prior to the 9th cent. A.D. Kannada possessd rich varied literary forms in prose, poetry and mix. ture of both by eminent scholars like Vimala, Udaya, Nagarjuna, Durvioita, Śrivijaya, Kavīśvara, Lokapala etc.
The works of these scholars, unfortunately, have not come to light so far. It is possible that some of their works were influenced by the prior Prakrit literature or some of the authors were also Prakrit scholars. It is interesting to note here that one of these literary figures viz. Durvinīta (c. 600 A.D.), a king of the Ganga dynasty, is said to have readered the Paisācı Bębatkatbā of Guņādbya into Sanskrit. Now it can be conjectured that this eminent Kannada Prose-writer (gadyakāra) might have also rendered the Brhatkathā into Kannada, wbich was lost but still remained, as we shall see below, in an oral tradition from which some of rare storymotifs appear to have been picked up and included in works like the Vaddārādhane. And K.M.Munshi's views regarding the oral tradition of the Brhatkathā in Indian folk-literature very well support this line of thought here.
The early prose works like the Vaddārādhane and Cāvumdarāya-Pu. rāņa are highly influenced by the Middle Indo-Aryan literature. The Vaddāradhane, composed by some unknown Jaina (Digambara) monk (0.925AD) is an Aradhanā (Kavac3) Kathakośa containing 19 stories which are based on the 19 gabas (1539-1557) in the Bhagavatl Ārādhana of siyaKotyācārya. It had as its sources one or more Prakrit commentaries on the Bhagavati Ārādhana and are mainly influenced by them. Anong 131 quo.
4 Vide Studies in Prakrit Inscriptions, by Dr. G. S, Gai, Proceedings of the Seminar
in Prakrit Studies, Poona University, 1970, pp, 115-123. 5 Epigraphia Carnatica, Vol. II 6 Kavirajamārga, Bangalore, 1898, verses 27-32. 7 This work is not extant. This information is available from some copper-plate
Inscriptions, Vide Kavicarite, Bangalore, 1961 pp. 12-13. 8 Gujarat and its Litrature, ch. V 9 Thece gāhās refer to the Sholapur edition.