Scientific Contents in Prakrta Canons

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

Page 47

Prākrta Bhāsā : 25
(v) Story, fames ana'ales "" (vi) Biographie Land- og (vii) Small poetic literature ( Muktaka ) (viii) Detached proses ( Khanda kävya ) (ix) Miscellaneous Literature.
We will take special note for category (i) only for our discussions. It is noteworthy that Prākrta has literature on all elegant and non-elegant subjects.
It should, however, be noted that the first period of growth of Ardha-māgadhi was followed by the period of growth of its two important forms24 Sauraseni and Mahārāstri --because of fall of Magadhan patronage. The Sauraseni Prākrta consists of mainly Digambaras pro-canonical literature like Satkhandā - gama, Kasāyapāhuda (100-200 A.D.), Kundakunda's literature, Mūlācāra, Bhagawati Arādhanā, etc. extending upto roughly
12th century in the central and south of the country. The Mahārāștri literature also ran parallel in the west (i. e, Ujjain and Valabhi) after the finial redaction of canons during the councils in third and fifth centuries A. D. The language of this literature is not the archaic Ardha-māgadhi spoken by Mahāvira but a mixed one having predominance of its one or other forms in regions of composition. It is also not unnatural as the literature was composed or compiled after a long time where many changes must have occurred. However, technically, canons are said to be composed in godly Ardha-māgadhi in origin. These forms of Prākṣta got national importance because of - (i) voluminous literature and (ii) religious, royal and public patronage. Moreover, the language was grammatised like Samskrta in this period which led to its standard form and therefore contracted literary nature beyond general public. While this led to literary growth of Prākrta, the native languages associated with it got their way ahead towards getting into Apabhraíśa and then different Indian languages of today under the new Indo-Aryan chronology.
It could also be noted that the linguists prescribe the