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Vol. XVI, No. 2
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y prefixed to it.' Mārkaņdeya further says, '(citthașya tu ściņgah XII. 32), that is, the Sabari citthadi (skt. tişthati) becomes ściņgadi in Māgadhi which again (ścinto ycisa ityeke XIII.3) becomes ycisadi in Sākārī, a variety of Māgadhi. Again in the Vrācada Apabhraíśa spoken in Sindh (i.e. North-West) he tells us that y is prefixed to c, and j as in ycatai (Skt. calati), yjalai (Skt. jvalati), Finally, in Sauraseni-paiśāciki (XX.4), which is a variety of Kekaya-Paiśāciki, of the extreme North-West, 'cavargasyo' parişjad yah, i.e y is prefixsd to the letters of ca.varga, i.e. 'only to c, ch, j jh and ñ, as the language does not possess sonant mutes.' Thus ychale for chalam paycche for paksam. Thus far is the view of the eastern grammarians'.
This idea that y is to be prefixed to c-varga is perhaps what Kramadīśvara has wanted to say. That is why the reading of Lassen could be improved as yapa (ra) cavarga yukta manāg-uccāryāh on the light of the sūtras of Rāma Tarkavāgiša and Mārkaņdeya. The meauing of the sutra thus emended can go on a par with the sütras of Eastern Prakrit grammarians like Purusottama, Rāma Tarkavāgisa and Mārkandeya 'It is quite possible', says Banerjee 'that at the time of Kramadiśvara, the palatal sounds were pronounced with y prefixed to it. This was still prevalent at the time of Rāma Tarkavagiša and Mārkaņdeya'. To add to it we can say that this is still the pronunciation of c-varga in the eastern region of India, particularly in Bengal. What was the pronunciation of Magadhi palatal in those days is the palatal-affricate of modern times. Perhaps, this idea of palatal a ffricate was indicated by the statement that c-varga would be pronounced with y prefixed to it.
In fact this sūtra suggests the affricate nature of C-varga in pronunciation. It indicates the manner of pronunciation. Affricate pronunciation means that when C-varga is pronounced the back of the upper part of the tongue is fixed to the palate and thereby obstructing the air-passage, but as soon as the air is released, the pronunciation of c-varga becomes clear. This abstruct idea of pronunciation is recorded by the eastern prakrit grammarians by using the sound y prefixed to it. It appears that there is hardly any better way by which a pronunciation can be recorded.
Grierson' on this point says 'It appears to me, therefore, that we can gather form the remarks of the prakrit grammarians quoted that in standard Mahārāștri Prakrit and in Sauraseni (which in this respect followed Mahārāștri) the palatals were probably pronounced as dentopalatals, as in Modern Mārăthi, but that in Māgadhi they were pron
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