Studies in Desya Prakrit

Author(s): H C Bhayani
Publisher: Kalikal Sarvagya Shri Hemchandracharya Navam Janmashatabdi Smruti Sanskar Shikshannidhi Ahmedabad

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in a Sanskritic garb. Upamitibhavaprapancakatha of Siddharşi, the canonical commentaries of Abhayadeva and others, Hemcandra's Trişaştiśalākāpuruşacarita, Harişeņa's Bịhatkathākoşa and the Prabandhas of Merutunga, Rājaśekliara and others are the typical examples.
Some of these texts have been already studied from this point of view,8 but the literature being vast much remains still to be done.
It is hoped that even this sketchy account would not fail to impress upon the reader the great value of Jain writings for the study of the Deśya words and hence for the history of Middle and New Indo-Aryan. This field of study has unfortunately attracted very few scholars. So long as this area is not fully explored, we cannot hope to fill large gaps in the history of Indo-Aryan.
Notes
1. For two small efforts by way of making a beginning in this
direction, see the following two articles of mine : तीन अर्धमागधी शब्दों की कथा (मुनि श्री हजारीमल स्मृति-ग्रथ).
त्रण देश्य आगभिक शब्दो (माहनलालजी स्मारक-ग्रंथ) 2. am 303507 111347 gifsaga 253173111
देसी-पयाइ मात्तु सखित्तयरी कया एसा ॥ 3. See the word-index to the three volumes of Svayambhū
deva's Paumacariya edited by H. C. Bhayani, 1953, 1960. 4. See R. N. Shriyan, A Critical study of the Deśya and rare
words from Puspadanta's Mahāpurāņa, and other Apabhramsa works, 1969. The Paumasiri-cariya of Dhāhila (ed. by M. C. Modi and H. C. Bhayani), has numerous Deśya words. The number for the Vilāsavaikahā of Sādhāraṇa (ed. R. M. Shah) has about one hundred and fifty.
The word-index given in other Apabhramsa works like the Karakanda-cariya, the Jambūsami-cariya of Vira etc. also contain Deśya words.