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INTRODUCTION
to the Prakrta of Mahārāștra occurs also in Jayamangala's commentary on Canto 13 of the Bhaljikavya composed in tatsama Prākrta,' Such references are, however, rare, and it is usual to employ the term Praksta for Mahārāștrī without any territorial association.
Prākrit writers sometimes refer to Mahārāștrī as the native or regional language of Mahārāştra (marahattha-desibhāsā), or simply as the language of Mahārāştra (marahatthayabhāsā). The author of the Lilāva: (circa 800 A.D.) says that the poem is composed in marahattha-desi-bhāsā (v. 1330), which turns out to be post-classical Mahārāştrī influenced by Apabbramsa and the spoken language of Mahārāştras. The generic term praksta also occurs in an earlier verse which says that the story is being narrated in the Prāksta language using very few deśī words“. Uddyotana says the same thing in a different way in a verse of his Kuvalayamala (779 A.D.), which tells us that the romance is 'composed in the Prāksta language, and furnished with descriptions of the type current in Mahārāştra's. The language employed in the work may be described as post-classical Mahārāşırı with Apabhramśa and Jaina features. It is written in a fluent style, and occasionally borrows a phrase from the Setubandbal. Another reference to
1 रीणमित्यप्रयोगः प्राकृते महाराष्ट्रे तस्याप्रयोगात् । 2 Mahesvara who wrote his Nanapancamikahão (Singhi Jain Series) about the middle
of the tenth century A.D. says at the beginning of his work that he has composed it
in simple Prākrta easily intelligible to all; actually it is written in Jaina Mahārāştri. 3 See Introd, to Upadhye's edition, p. 75 ff. 4 ......919716 ATC | qfaza-apa-yaah # #... Il v. 41 5 TIET-HTHT-34 HG01-CTH-qua-fo p. 4 6 cf. HE7-967-gog Setu 1.24=#8 -96#-gü KM p. 22, 1, 14. The expression
The-effen Setu 1.9 is used in KM p. 6, 1.5 (fag 9-fes feia et fa). The verse in KM p. 13 : 4117 of op afa fengi graf P ara faesla I 278 Frou Feyr Eyj 18 19 U TAT expands the idea in Setu 3.56 : TOT दज्जइ दिट्ठी काअव्वं दाव होइ चिर-णिव्वूढं.
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