Two Prakrit Versions of Manipati Charitra

Author(s): R Williams
Publisher: Royal Asiatic Society

Page 17

TWO PRAKRIT VERSIONS OF THE MANIPATI-CARITA
With regard to the orthography the representation of Prakrit short e and o varies, as commonly in the MSS, from word to word. Intervocalic single consonants are usually replaced by ya except in the first class where ga and gha are often found. The retention of intervocalic ca and ja is also common. Initially, and normally when doubled, n is dental,1 in the single intervocalic position always cerebral. A curious feature is the use in nearly every case of a special symbol for cch (<ts). This is noted in the transcription by cch. Whether it has any significance is not clear.
4
MPCH
In preparing the text the following MSS were used:
A. India Office Library. Catalogue of the Sanskrit and Prakrit MSS, vol. II, Part II, no. 7659.
Berriedale Keith characterises it as 'not correct and written in very crowded characters', and ascribes it to the seventeenth century. A later hand has added a few Sanskrit glosses and a not always accurate word division indicated by upright strokes above the line.
B. India Office Library, Catalogue, vol. II, Part II, no. 7660. An eighteenth century MS accompanied by an interlinear paraphrase in Marwari. Breaks off at verse 291.
C. Royal Asiatic Society (Bombay Branch) Catalogue of
MSS, No. 1767.
A fairly good MS. perhaps of the seventeenth century.
D. Bodleian Library, Catalogue of the Prakrit MSS. No. 67. Ascribed by Berriedale Keith to the eighteenth century. E. Baroda, Prākṛta-Samskṛta-jñāna-bhaṇḍāra of Kantavijayaji
No. 681.
The oldest and best MS.: the date of copying is given as Sam. 1485.
F. Private collection of Muni Punyavijayaji.
An old and good MS. dated Sam. 1476 but undoubtedly later perhaps sixteenth century.
G. Baroda, Prākṛta-Samskṛta-jñāna-bhaṇḍāra of Kantavijayaji, No. 1092.
1 A popular etymology has provoked the curious spelling va-nara for vāṇara regularly.