Proceedings of the Seminar on Prakrit Studies 1973

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

Page 200

22. Prakrit Studies : Some Problems and Solutions
Dr. G. C. Choudhari, Vaishali About two and half thousand years ago the popular dialects of North Jodia had a glorious time when lord Buddha and Lord Mahavir decided to preach their religions in the local dialects in preference to the literary language of the time. The Literary language viz. Sanskrit was limited to the elite but among the masses some or other form of the Prakrits was in vogue. The Buddha's and also Lord Mahavit's preference of the Prakrit, the spoken language of masses, was a great democratie step. Owing to this bold decision and its effective execution by them and their followers , a tradition of religious literature in the Prakrits set in and we could bave the bulk of the Pall and the Ardhamāgadhi canons Besides these considerable secular literature also has survived in the Prakrits from very early period. In fact there has not been a time in which the literary genius of the people did not blossom through one or other of the popular dialects. Treatises on poetics like Dhvanyaloka and Kavyaprakāśa are full of illustrations from the Prakrit. The fact that the writers of the treatises, the eminent pioneer Anandavardhana and Mammata, often illustrate their points with Prakrit verses, shows that in this field genius of people found novel modes of expression. The poetic quality of these illustrations is often high and jo many cases they vie with the finished verses of great masters like Kalidasa. Our ancient dramas also have given a share to the popular dialects. The tradition of the use of the Prakrits in extant Sanskrit dramas must have had a realistic base though in course of time it became stereotyped. The Prakrits also enjoyed royal patronage in the extensive territories of such influential dynasties as the Mauryas and the Sātavā hānas. The duty rescripts of Asoka engraved in different parts of his kingdom are in the Prakrits and the Satavahanag also used Prakrit in their inscriptions. Among the latter, one, probably Hāla, set up a convention of exclusive use of Prakrit in his harem as we learn from the Kavyamımāmgā of Rājasekhara.
In this way the Prakrit languages and Literature are very valuable for a complete and first hand knowledge of the ancient Igdian culture. Their importance in linguistic studies also is very great. The growth of the modern vernaculars can be properly understood in the context of the Prakrit and the Apabhrama ianguages. Not only this but also the languages of the south have borrowed a large number of words from the Prakrits.
The Prakrit languages kept always growing and they did not generally tone down to any strict discipline of grammar. This growth of the Prakrits