Scientific Contents in Prakrta Canons

Author(s): N L Jain
Publisher: Parshwanath Vidyapith

Page 42

20 Scientific Contents in Prākṛta Canons
Magadhan words and usages as Budhha's sermon area was mainly Magadh. Due to political and cultural importance of Magadha, her language became lingua franca for the whole central country accomodating words and structures from many dialectical areas and Samskṛta.
The language of the early Budhhist literature is Pāli which has some specialities of its own. It extends from 483 B. C. to the modern age. The Tripitakas or Sutta, Vinaya and Abhidhamma ( a little later) and many Anupitakas form the basic Buddhist canons.
(b) Inscriptional Prākṛta
This variety of Prākṛta extends from Asokan period of 300 B. C. to about 400 A. D. The inscriptions are found in caves, pillars and coins. A large number of inscriptions are found throughout the country including Srilanka. The inscriptions of Aśoka, Khāravela (150 B. C.) and later Andhras; and central country are very important and represent different and periodically developing forms of Prākṛta with a large number of similarities among them. While Aśokan inscriptions represent Pāli-cum-Māgadhi Prākṛtas, the Khāravela and Andhra inscriptions represent old or Jaina Šauraseni Prākṛta.
(c) Transitional Prākṛta
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The transitional Prākṛta belongs to a period ranging from 200 B. C. to 200 A. D. These Prākṛta forms have been found outside India. They are contained in — (i) dramas of Asvaghosa (app. 100 A. D.) obtained in Central Asia, (ii) Dhammapada (200 A. D.) obtained in Khotāna and (iii) Kharoṣṭhi inscriptions in Chinese Turkistan area called Neya (200-300 A. D. ). While the language of the later two belongs to the west-northern India, Iran and Tokhare, the Asvaghosa dramas have old Magadhi, Ardhamāgadhi and Sauraseni language. These dramas give these three existing old forms of Präkṛta through - (i) speeches of the wicked and low-castes, (ii) joculars and prostitutes and (iii) ascetics respectively. They represent somewhat developed