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Studies in Jainology, Prakrit
327
(v) The statement that Paisací has less admixture of the Aryan linguistic elements is unauthoritative and contradictory to the accepted linguistic facts. We should no forget the fact that of all the Prakrit dialects Paisací is most akin to Sanskrit. 10
Now coming to Dr.Umarji, I would present the following observations: Instead of devoting the major portion of his small treatise i.e, six out of seven Chapters, lo trying to establih the Sanskritic origin of the Kannada language, the learned author should have done so to prove directly the Paisacī origin of the same. After this treatise came out, it may be noted, this theory of the Sanskritic origin of Kannada and other South Indian Languages was rightly, on the ground of the findings of the modern Linguistic Science, was not accepted by Dr.D.N.Shankar Bhatt."
(i) Ranna's poetic expression in 17.41 of his Gadayuddha (c.982 A.D.) cannot be taken in the grammarian's sense. Here navabhūtabhāseyim would mean 'in the new language of the goblins' moving on the battle field where the Mahābhārata was ended with success for Pandavas. It cannot be taken as Kannada. We should not forget to note the poet's similar expressions viz navarakta and navaveda in the earlier verse (IV.39). He mentions in the verse (IV.41) the name of Gunadhya just to heighten the effect of his poetic expression -iz., navabhutabhāsa as against Gunadhya's (old) bhutabhasa which term for Paisaci was used by scholars like Dandin and Vagbhata. Moreover we do not come across anywhere the usage of navabhūtabhāṣā in the sense of Kannada language either in the above discussed context or otherwise.
(ii) Wc necd not take the legend of Vatapi and livala, narrated in the Rāmāyana, to cut out a favourable linguistic possibility unless it is accorded by other dependable evidences - linguistic, geographical, historical etc. We should note that there is also a reference in the Mahabharata (Dronaparva, 499) which indicates that the Pisacas were a tribe living in the North-Western region." Pisacikā is a northern Puranic river emerging from mount
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