________________
322
धमणविद्या
Prakrit literature, unparalled in its vast extent and astonishingly of varied interest, forms an integral part of the Ancient and the Medieval heritage of the country and stands on equal footing with Sanskrit and Pali studies. Prakrit studies should be taken to include all the Middle Indo-Aryan Languages including Niya and the so called Gandhāri Prakrits to give them a broader and deeper perspective.
It has been clearly located and identified by a band of scholars that the origins and growth of almost all the modern. Indian languages are intimately connected with the Prakrits, and that the knowledge of Prakrits is quite essential for the proper understanding and efficient development of the different regional languages of both the Indo-Aryan and the Dravidian families, which are bound to play a far more central role in the academic life of the country in the days to come. In this connection scholars have pointedly drawn the attention to the importance and value of the Apabhramśa languages and literature which constitute their immediate precursors. Along with the other well-known aspects of the Prakrit languages as a whole, the Apabhramsa stands in urgent need of an intensive and careful study.
In view of the importance and value of Higher Education and Research in Prakrits and Jainology the objective should be formulated in the light of recent trends of research and National Policy.
Prākrits and Jainology cover a much wider sphere than they are sometimes understood and misrepresented by some scholars for their own reasons. The latest Policy Frame formulated by University Grants Commission most appropriately apply to these studies, because the basic object of Prakrits and Jainology is to promote human values and cultural heritage of the people.
Higher Education
Higher Education in Prākrits and Jainology has yet to be planed in the light of the linguistic and cultural values of these studies. They must be brought in closer relation to include all the middle Indo-Aryan dialects on one hand and regional languages on the other. Jainological studies in particular should be brought in closer relation to the other subjects of Humanities and Social Sciences like Philosophy, Religious Studies, Ancient Indian History, Culture and Archaeology, History of
संकाय पत्रिका-१
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
