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what is an Apabhramsa ? It is with the greatest difficulty that I found a definition or rather a definite description in a Hindi work of the early part of the last century. Krsnasimha, the bard of Bundi, the author of Vamsa Bhaskara, in the first chapter of his work, described the languages in which books are written. Apabhramsa is one of these languages and he says it is a language in which the inflexions are discarded. If that be the definition of Apabhramsa, then the vernaculars of the present day which have lost their agglutinative character, are all Apabhramsas. It is a convenient word for those, who are unable to fix a dialect in time and place. This also is a word which should go out of use, and should be replaced so far as possible by the name of the country and of the century.
Dandin's Misrabhâsä has not been defined. It still, is a puzzle, for in describing Sanskrit and Prakrit and Apabhramsa, he is very definite. He gives the name of some works in these languages. But in attempting to give an example of Misrabhasă, he says, Misrāntu Nataka dikam. The Natakas, so far known are in Sanskrit and Prakrit. Some characters speaking Sanskrit and some Prakrit. It is rather a form of literature and not of language. So he has not succeeded in giving an example. Perhaps Dandin took the classification from an ancient work, which he has not been able to explain properly. I suspect that the Nāļakas, acted for the delectation of all classes of people, were at one time, written in the mixed language, which was within the comprehension of all; but that, that form of drama gradually disappeared with the mixed language and made room for the present form of dramas in Sanskrit and Prakrit. The only remnant of a drama in the mixed language is perhaps the Sariputra drama recently discovered in the desert of Central Asia, though in fragments. Dandin was perhaps not aware of the mixed language in which Mahāsamghika works were written.
I believe you have all secn the Kheplā jāla, the fishing net of Bengal that is swung over the head and cast inlo the ponds. It has one knot, which remains in the hand of the fisherman and strings radiate from it on all directions in the form of warps and they are met at intervals with parallel strings in the form of woofs. Al the points of intersection there are knots. That is the case with the Indian languages. The central knot may be compared to the Vedic language from which all Indian languages are derived. These languages drift farther and farther from the central language in the course of centuries in different places -- they are the strings that issue from the central knot. The parallel woofs are the changes in society. Now, whenever there is a momentous change in society, it is reflected in a corresponding
the language, and very often a literature is the result. The
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