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Literature on Prakrit Grammar
Ashok Kumar Singh
Irony with the literature on Prakrit grammar is that not even a single work of Prakrit grmamar is available in Prakrit language. All the availale texts on the subject are written in Sanskrit. The reason may be that the vocabulory of the Prakrit language consists of three types of words-Tatsama (Sanskrit equivalant), Tadbhava (derived from Sanskrit) an Deśya (underivable). That is the objective of the Prakrit grammarians was to provide rules for the formation of Prakrit words from their Sanskrit equivalents. Hence Sanskrit was the medium of instruction. To facilitate the presentation of available works – texts, commentary and studies, may be classified into-(1) Texts on Prakrit grammar, (II) Works on the part of Prakrit grammar, (III) Modern works on Prakrit grammar, (IV) Works on the Dialects of Prakrit grammar such as on a. Apabhramsa, b. Ardhamāgadhi, c. Deśya Prakrit, d. Inscriptional Prakrit, e. Māgadhi and f. Saurseni, (V Works on comparative grammar, (VI) General modern works on Prakrit language and their catalogues and (VII) Prakrit works referred to.
-Editor
Prakrit Vyākaraṇa (lost), ascribed to Digambar Ācārya Samantabhadra, may be treated as the first work of Jaina tradition, Prakrit Vyākaraņa (lost) by anonymous is in all probability, the earliest work of Svetāmbara sect. Prakrit-Lakşaņa of Caņda is probably the first extant work on Prakrit Grammar. However, According to French Scholar Luigia, Nitti- Dolci, the history of Prakrit grammar begins with Bharat's Nātyaśāstra.
(1) Texts on Prakrit grammar : 1. Prakrit Bhāṣā. Lakşaņa of Bharat .In Nātyaśāstra Bharat describes characteristics of Prakrit, especially with regard to that to
