Proceedings of the Seminar on Prakrit Studies 1973

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

Page 206

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and as a matter of fact we are. This is a question of saying our national wealth. A plea constantly made and persuasively submitted to the authorities will one day be heard, welcomed and implemented.
The universities should make up their mind to pool their resources for a common purpose-the purpose of saving Prākrit. They should become conscious of their responsibilities. That is to say, they should found and organise departments of Prākritic studies. If genuinte interest is not created for them, the only possible result will be extinction of the cultural wealth of the nation lying in the form of manuscripts in Prakrits. A tendency of Sanskrit first and Prākrit next should go. Both have equal status, chances and rights to live. It is a wrong notion the Sanskrit is richer than Prākrit. Any student or scholar, if only he be impartial, will have to admit that both have properties and features entitling them to an even treatment, I would not have so openly stated this but for the fact that a sizable portion of dramatic literature in Sanskrit which has got about half of its contents in Prakrit is offered in the form of editions containiog the Sanskrit rendering only thus depriving the student of the knowledge that there is also something like Prākrit worth studying as Sanskrit. This tendency, this injustice to an equally important and indepdent language must go once for all. This end can be achieved speadily and successfully only if separate departmeots, like those of Sanskrit etc. are opened in the universities. They can, then, well undertake the work of bringing out critical editions of Sanskrit-Prakrit dramas, Prakrit and Apabhramga texts, lexicons, grammars, tracing the historical growth of various Prākrits and modern Indian languages. This is an appeal in the name of research which, otherwise, will defeat its own purpose, In this context I remember the University Grants Commission which can certainly play a meaningful constructive role. However large sums of money U.G.C. spends on and for this it will be spending only meagre. Expenses incurred for the preservation of the cultural wealth of our nation are as vital, if not more, as those for the defence of the country.
of course, there is a Prākrit Text Society and L.D. Institute of Indo. logy at Ahmedabad rendering yeomen service. But there should be at least a dozen of such publishing houses to cope with the huge bulk of many. script material in Prākrit. And It is here that the Universities can step in. So far as such research Institutes are concerned, progress can not be measured lo terms of monoy spont. It is a time-consuming undertaking. Moreover, one or two lostltutes cannot do this work. There should be coordination between all the Institutes so that the labours may not be tod and results reduplicated. If the need of such an effort is accepted the programmes and plans can be immediately drawn up. It is not difficult.