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Studies in Jainology, Prakrit
source of which seems to be the Nayadhammakahão. (iv) Cāmundarāya does not call the Eighteen Languages
of his reference Desī. The context of his reference is the narration of the Adipurana. And hence he obviously sticks to the traditional number Eighteen in this respect. Bhattakalanka does not qualify the Eighteen Languages of his reference by Dest but by 'Maha calling them Eighteen Great Languages. Yet he openly announces that they are well known in the Agamas. Thus he too adheres to the traditional number Eighteen and, at the same time tries to provide rather a true linguistic picture of the country of his time
by adding to it the seven hundred dialects. To conclude, during the period round about htc composition of the Nayadhammakahão (400 B.C.) there must have existed some eighteen regional languages. Unfortunately we have no evidence to show which actually they were. To be well versed in the Eigheen Desī Languages was a matter of proud accomplishment in those days. The number of Desī Languages and the context of accomplishment were taken up as a tradition and were repeated in later canonical works like Vivagasutta, Ovavaiyasutta and Rāyapaseniya. Jinadāsagani however refers to the Eighteen Desī Languages in the linguistic context i.e, while discussing the nature of the Ardhamāgadhi language. Cāmundarāya obviously adhers to the same number of traditional importance. So also does Bhattākalanka, but he tries to give a realistic touch to his statement by adding to it Seven hundred dialects.13 It is Udyotana who not only attempts to enumerate the Eighteen Desī Languages but also illustrates them. But we cannot take Udyotana's list as wholly and truly reflecting the linguistic picture of the contemporary society. Because the number of the regional languages, making allowance for the inclusion of the Dravidian too, in 878 A.D., could not be the same as it was in the days of the Nayadhammakahão. It must
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