Proceedings of the Seminar on Prakrit Studies 1973

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

Page 201

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necessitated the intervention of Sanskrit is a standard language for commentary. Prakrit literature of a previous period had to be interpreted in Sanskrit for the readers of a later period. In course of time this sort of interpretation tended to be abused and the readers in order to save efforts satisfied themselves with the Sanskrit renderings of the Prakrit texts. This proved a great set-back to the Prakrits and the original texts began to dwindle.
But it is heartening to note that a revival is taking place in our present generation which is somehow alive to the great importance of the Prakrits, Establishment of Research Institutes and University departments for the study of the Prakrits and publication of numerous old Mss. are evidences in question. What is desired is that the growth should be well planned and enthuciasm of the people regulated.
If we cast a glance on the growth of Institutions and also on the curricula for the study of the Prakrits and other classical languages we find that the Prakrits are dovetailed with Jajnological, Pāli with the Buddhistic, Sanskrit with the Brahmanical and Arabic and Persian with the Islamic studies. Not only this but also the particolar languages are supposed to be taken care of by the particular religious communities alligned to them. And the latter also presume to exert all kinds of authority on the language under their charge. We have to see whether this dovetailing is congenial to the study of the Language or the religions in question.
It is true that some religious literature of the Jainas is in Prakrit and some religious literature of the Buddhists is in Pāli and so on. But a lot of Jaina religious Ilterature is in Sanskrit also and the same is the case with the Buddhist religious literature. So it is not fair to confine these religious thoughts to Prakrit and Pāli. Similarly the Prakrits have much more than the Jaina religious literature and the Jaina religious literature itself has much more than sheer religion and it is the common inheritance of the whole fraternity of scholars interested in the field. So the dovetailing in the above fashion is likely to confine the scope of the subject instead of promoting its growth and popularity.
Coming down to the particular case of the Prakrit studies at present, we find that a number of Institutions have been established for higher studies and research. But the researches done are generally substandard for the Institutions do not get good scholars. The subject is not being taught at the high school level and very few colleges have been teaching it at the un. dergraduate stage. So only a limited number of students offer to take up postgraduate studies and research. It is from among these that the Institutions have wllty-Dilly to choose their research scholaars. Efforts have been made