Sanskrit Prakrit Jain Vyakaran aur Kosh ki Parampara

Author(s): Chandanmalmuni, Nathmalmuni, Others
Publisher: Kalugani Janma Shatabdi Samaroha Samiti Chapar

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term desya or desī was usually and most frequently employed in this sense It designated that stock of Prakrit words which was found in the works of standard Prakrit authors, but which, unlike the rest of Prakrit words, was not derivable (according to the then accepted grammatical canons) from Sanskrit
Manuals of Prakrit grammars had started to be composed from about the second century AD as shown by Vararuci's Prākrta prakāśa. Deśya lexicography too seems to have its begipnings there-about Among the earlier authorities on Deśya words cited by Hemacandra we find the name of Sālāhana, the famous royal poet and campiler of an anthology Prakrit lyrics, the Saptaśataka, who is generally assigned to the period of the second century AD From Hemacandra we also know that a dozen or more Deśya lexicographers preceded him, but their works are lost to us we are completely in dark about them, excepting a few citations and allusions in later works
The importance of the Jain writings for studying Desya words is twofold Some Jain writers have made direct contribution to Deśya lexicography But the indirect contribution of the Jain literature in this regard is even much greater In sanskrit and Prakrit there is vast amount of literature, religious, exegetical and narrative, composed by the Jainas It camprises canonical texts and their commentaries (Cūrnis, Bbāsyas, etc), religious monographs (prakaranas) and the enormous amount of narrative works legendary biographies, tales, parables, anecdotes etc The language of these works is marked by causal or liberal use of Deśya words Hence they are an invaluable source for studying the character, function and history of the Deśis But so far very little work has been done in this regard. Hence, in the present short sketeh, no precise or reliable account the materials available from those sources can be given We offer just a few observations and rather haphazard illustrations with a view to impress on the readers the importance of studying the Jain writings from this view-point.
[2]
We came across a considerable number of Deśya words in