Vaishali Institute Research Bulletin 2

Author(s): G C Chaudhary
Publisher: Research Institute of Prakrit Jainology & Ahimsa Mujjaffarpur

Page 24

PRAKRIT STUDIES: SOME PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS
DR. G. C. CHOUDHARY
About two and half thousand years ago the popular dialects of North India had a glorious time when Lord Buddha and Lord Mahavira decided to preach their religions in the local dialects in preference to the literary language of the time. The Literary language viz. Sanskrit was limited to the elite but among the masses some or other form of the Prakrits was in vogue. The Buddha's and also Lord Mahavira's preference of the Prakrit, the spoken language of the masses was a great democratic step. Owing to this bold decision and its effective execution by them and their followers, a tradition of religious literature in the Prakrits set in and we could have the bulk of the Pali and the Ardhamăgadhi canons. Besides these, considerable secular literature also has survived in the Prakrits from very early periods. In fact there has not been a time in which the literary genius of the people did not blossom through one or other of the popular dialects. Treatises on poetics like Dhvanyaloka and Kavyaprakāśa are full of illustrations from the Prakrit. The fact that the writers of these treatises, the eminent pioneer Anandavardhana and Mammata, often illustrate their points with Prakrit verses shows that in this field genius of people found novel modes of expression. The poetic quality of these illustrations is often high and in many cases they vie with the finished verses of great masters like Kalidasa Our ancient dramas also have given a share to the popular dialects. The tradition of the use of the Prakrits in extant Sanskrit dramas must have had a realistic base though in course of time it became stereotyped. The Prakrits also enjoyed royal patronage in the extensive territories of such influential dynasties as the Mauryas and the Satavahanas. The duty rescripts of Aśoka engraved in different parts of his kingdom are in the Prakrits and the Satavahanas also used Prakrit in their inscriptions. Among the latter, one, probably Hala, set up a convention of exclusive use of Prakrit in his harem as we learn from the Kavyanimamsa of Rajasekhara.
In this way the Prakrit languages and literature are very valuable for a complete and first hand knowledge of the ancient Indian culture. Their importance in linguistic studies also is very great. The growth of the modern Vernaculars can be properly understood in the context of the Prakrit and the Apabhramsa languages. Not only this but also the