Conference Presentations by Vyom A Shah
प्राकृतभाषा : इतिहास एवं संभावनाएँ, 2023
The Prākṛta group of languages, just like Saṃskṛta, have been prevalent in Indian sub-continent ... more The Prākṛta group of languages, just like Saṃskṛta, have been prevalent in Indian sub-continent since ancient times. Records suggest that Prākṛta flourished even at the time of Patañjali, author of Mahabhāṣya. Various Prākṛta languages (or dialects) have been the mother-tongue of laymen across the Indian sub-continent. Due to rapid vernacularisation, many words are found in Prākṛta whose etymological origin can hardly be traced in Saṃskṛta. The understanding of these words can be very useful for knowing the prominent cultural and intellectual traditions which existed during those periods.
Māgadhī, Paiśācī, Śaurasenī, etc., Prākṛta were spoken in various parts of India for centuries. Grammarians like Vararuci, Kramadīśvara, Hemacadrasūri, Mārkaṇḍeya have authored extensive grammatical texts of these languages where they have often discussed lesser known, or rather unrecognizable words.
We are quite aware about the changes brought about in language through grammatical texts due to errors made by the scribers. Similarly, the influence of Prākṛta can be observed on prominent Saṃskṛta-koṣa-s (or lexicons) like Dvirūpādikośa authored by Śrī Harṣa, Dvirūpakośa authored by Puruṣottamadeva, Śabdaprabhedakośa authored by Maheśvara and Sarasvatīvilāsa by Saridvallabhavilāsa (unpublished).
Comparative linguistic study of these Saṃskṛta lexicons with the commonly used words in these vernacular languages can help us understand the lasting influence of Prākṛta languages. Unfortunately, linguistic study has been carried out in this area till now.
For instance, Sarasvatīvilāsa mentions the usage of words – ‘pattana’, and ‘paṭṭaṇa’, in same sense, i.e., city. Here, paṭṭaṇa can be observed as direct Prākṛta-influenced word. ‘gandua’ is a Prākṛta form for Saṃskṛta word ‘genduka’ (attested in Amarakośa). Śrī Harṣa mentions ‘ganduka’ as a Saṃskṛta word in his Dvirūpādikośa as another popular form of the same word. Many such words have been collected in such kośa-s.
In this paper, I have discussed the influence of Prākṛta words on Saṃskṛta lexical texts with special reference to dvirūpakośa-s in a scientific fashion which can help us better understand the early interactions between the two Indo-European languages.
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Conference Presentations by Vyom A Shah
Māgadhī, Paiśācī, Śaurasenī, etc., Prākṛta were spoken in various parts of India for centuries. Grammarians like Vararuci, Kramadīśvara, Hemacadrasūri, Mārkaṇḍeya have authored extensive grammatical texts of these languages where they have often discussed lesser known, or rather unrecognizable words.
We are quite aware about the changes brought about in language through grammatical texts due to errors made by the scribers. Similarly, the influence of Prākṛta can be observed on prominent Saṃskṛta-koṣa-s (or lexicons) like Dvirūpādikośa authored by Śrī Harṣa, Dvirūpakośa authored by Puruṣottamadeva, Śabdaprabhedakośa authored by Maheśvara and Sarasvatīvilāsa by Saridvallabhavilāsa (unpublished).
Comparative linguistic study of these Saṃskṛta lexicons with the commonly used words in these vernacular languages can help us understand the lasting influence of Prākṛta languages. Unfortunately, linguistic study has been carried out in this area till now.
For instance, Sarasvatīvilāsa mentions the usage of words – ‘pattana’, and ‘paṭṭaṇa’, in same sense, i.e., city. Here, paṭṭaṇa can be observed as direct Prākṛta-influenced word. ‘gandua’ is a Prākṛta form for Saṃskṛta word ‘genduka’ (attested in Amarakośa). Śrī Harṣa mentions ‘ganduka’ as a Saṃskṛta word in his Dvirūpādikośa as another popular form of the same word. Many such words have been collected in such kośa-s.
In this paper, I have discussed the influence of Prākṛta words on Saṃskṛta lexical texts with special reference to dvirūpakośa-s in a scientific fashion which can help us better understand the early interactions between the two Indo-European languages.