Sambodhi 1977 Vol 06

Author(s): Dalsukh Malvania, H C Bhayani, Nagin J Shah
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

Page 85

On the Paiśāli...
Keeping aside the question of duly applying the principles of modern Linguistic Science, neither of thc scholars has listed even a few commonest Kannada words for such as hand, leg, eye, ear, father, mother, brother, I, thou etc, as to have been derived from their corresponding Paigāci ones. It is Gricrson, who devoted the major part of his life to the study of the Indian languages, has also given considerable thought to Paigācí, its subdialects and its legacy.
In his esteemed treatise, the Pisāca Languages of North-Western India, 2 2 this distinguised linguistician has presented a thorough study of the NorthWestern languages viz. Kāfir, Kho-war(Citrāli) and Dard i.e., Eastern group viz., Sinā, Kāšmiri, Gārwi and Maiyā; and this study shows that these languages are undobtedly related with our archaic Paisācı : "I think I am justified is saying that nearly every characteristic of that form of speech (Paišāci), as recorded by the Prakrit grammarians, is present in them. I therefore consider myself justified in classing them together under the name of Modern Paisāci."28 He concludes the study with the following lines : "The modern Paišācí languages are neither of Indian origin nor of Eranian origin, but form a third branch of the Aryan stock, which separated from the paient stem after the branching forth of the original of the Indian languages, but before the Eranian languages had developed all their peculiar characteristics" 34
At this stage one feels like raising a question as to what has Grierson to say about the various sub-dialects of Paišācı as mentioned by gramma. rians like Mārkandeya ? Yes, Grierson does take note of Mārkandeya with the following observations : "I do not deny that in later times there may have been people called Pisacas or even Pisaca colonists, in other parts of the country, but that opens out too wide a question to be di.cussed here',28 And Dr. Upadhye has suggested 26 a fairly reasonable solution to the problem of the appearence of the socalled Paisāci colonies in widely separated parts of India : "It may be stated that the North-West of India was possibly the original home of Paisāci, but the dialect in the mouths of an itinerant tribe travelled in different parts of the country and was popular near Vindhyas some time before Rājagekliara. This conclusion has been further supported by the facts that the basic or standard Paišācı is called Kaikeya Paiśnci by Puruşottama and others, and that Dr. Bagchi has also arrived 22 Second Edition, Pub. Munshiram Manoharlal, Delhi 1969 (First published in 1906,
by the Royal Asiatic Society, London). 23 Op. cit., Intro. p. 3. 24 Op. cit., Intro. p. 4 25 Op. cit., p. 190. 26 Loc. cit.