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ON THE EIGHTEEN DEŠI LANGUAGES*
B. K. Kbadabadi
The Nayadhaminakahao, the sixth Anga of the Ardhamagadhi Canon. refers to the Eighteen Desi Languages more than once : (1) ag uit te ERIT arcafagcarregatitetlaarsg............. ETI Prince Megha was well versed in the Eighteen kinds of Deši Languages (2) art of agro
2275 dagar ath shower aftang 311.......... egitimataifa , In the city of Campã there lived a harlot named Devadattā who was rich........ (and) well versed in the Eighteen Deśt Languages. Similaraly we find references to the Eighteen Desi Languages in Vivagasutta, Ovavaiyasutta and Raya paseniya : ay af # 175 UTIR O g ....... 3ergotzarafaa zyr In Väniyagama there was a harlot named Kamajjhayā who was skilled in the Eighteen Desi Languages. तए णं दढपइण्णे दारए अठारसदेसीभासाविसारए ।' The boy Dadhapainna was well versed in Eighteen Deši Languages. ag oi casco antg ergitaideaalranithtarfarTQ 16 The boy Dağhapaiņņa was well versed in the Eighteen kinds of Desī Languages,
The Jinadāsagaņi in bis Nisuha Cūrni (7th century A.D.) also refers to the Eighteen Desh languages : अट्ठारसदेसीभासानिययं वा अद्धमागहं ।' or the Ardbamägadbi language which has the characteristics of the Eighteen Desi Languages.
Further Udyotanasūri, the author of the Kuvalayamala (778 A.D.) not only refers to the Eighteen Desi Languages, but also enumerates them by Illustratiog in brief the colloquial format of each of them as observed by prince Siridatta in the narrative :
इय. अट्ठारस देसीभाषाउ पुलइऊण सिरिदत्तो ।
3TOOT154 yang saa t-9128-watieg 11 Having observed these Eighteen Desi Languages, Siridatta observed a few other ones like Khasa, Parasa, Babbara etc. The following are the names
Taper accepted by the All India Oriental Conference, XXVII session, held at the Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra, December 27, 1974. 1. Nāyādhammakalão I, I, Suttāgamle I, Gudgaun 1953, p. 957, 2. lbid, 1.3, Suttāgame I, p. 987. 3. Vivāgasutta 1.2, Suttāgame I. p. 1249. 4. Ovaväiyasutta, Suttāgame II. Gudgaun 1954, p. 32. 5. Rāyapaseniya, Sutrāgame II, p, 102. 6. Vide Intro. to Paio-Sadda-Mahannavo,, Varanasi 1963, p. 34. 7. Kuvalayamala I, Singhi Jain Series 45, Bombay, 1959, p. 153.
