Abhinav Prakrit Vyakaran - Book Summary

This is a comprehensive summary of the Jain text "Abhinav Prakrit Vyakaran" by Dr. N.C. Shastri, published in 1963 by Tara Publications, Varanasi. The summary is based on the provided pages, which detail the book's structure and content.

Book Title: Abhinav Prakrit Vyakaran (New Prakrit Grammar) Author: Dr. N. C. Shastri (M.A., Ph.D., Gold Medalist) Publisher: Tara Publications, Varanasi Year of Publication: 1963

Overall Summary:

"Abhinav Prakrit Vyakaran" is a detailed and comprehensive grammar of Prakrit languages written in Hindi, authored by Dr. N.C. Shastri. The book aims to provide a thorough understanding of Prakrit grammar, covering phonetics, morphology, syntax, and the specific characteristics of various Prakrit dialects. It is structured into eleven chapters, meticulously outlining the rules and providing numerous examples, often drawing parallels with Sanskrit grammar while highlighting the unique developments in Prakrit. The author dedicates the book to Dr. Hiralalji Jain, a respected scholar of ancient Indian languages and literature.

Chapter-wise Breakdown:

Chapter 1: Varna Vichar aur Sangyaen (Phonology and Nouns)
- Discusses the basic sounds (varnas) of Prakrit, including vowels and consonants. Prakrit alphabet and pronunciation, distinguishing between voiced (ghosh) and unvoiced (aghosh), aspirated (mahapran) and unaspirated (alppran) sounds.
- Explains phonetic concepts like 'sparsa' (stops) and 'ayogyavah' (anunasika, visarga).
- Introduces specific noun formations and grammatical terms such as 'sva-vibhakt-ha-di-sa-shu-khu-stu-ga-phu-tu sangyaen,' 'bahul,' 'rit,' 'luk,' and 'uvritta svar sangyaen.'
Chapter 2: Sandhi Vichar (Sandhi Rules)
- Defines Sandhi and its various types: vowel sandhi, consonant sandhi, and 'avyaya sandhi' (sandhi involving indeclinables).
- Detailed rules and examples for vowel sandhi, including long vowel sandhi (dirgha sandhi), guna sandhi, and prakriti-bhava sandhi (non-combination).
- Explains consonant sandhi rules, including the treatment of final 'm' (makar) and the use of anusvara.
- Discusses exceptions and specific rules related to sandhi in Prakrit literature.
Chapter 3: Varna Vikriti (Phonetic Changes)
- Covers general rules of phonetic changes, including the arrangement of final consonants (antya hal vyañjan).
- Details vowel changes in specific word groups (samriddhi gana, kriti gana, svapnadi gana, paniy gana, mukuladi gana, kripadi gana, etc.).
- Explains consonant changes, including the elision of medial consonants (madhyavarti k-g-v-j-t lop), the transformation of kh, gh, th, dh, bh to h, and changes in sounds like t, tt, dd, and n.
Chapter 4: Varna Parivartan (Sound Shifts)
- Provides an extensive list of phonetic shifts of vowels and consonants, illustrating the transformation of Sanskrit sounds into Prakrit sounds with numerous examples.
- Covers changes like a > aa, a > i, a > u, a > e, etc., and consonant changes like k > kh, g > m, ch > j, etc.
Chapter 5: Linganushasan (Gender and Feminine Bases)
- Discusses the gender of Sanskrit words when used in Prakrit, particularly focusing on neuter gender nouns becoming masculine.
- Explains the rules for forming feminine bases from masculine bases.
- Covers specific gender arrangements for certain words.
Chapter 6: Shabdroop (Declension)
- Defines 'shabd' (word) and 'pad' (inflected word).
- Classifies Prakrit words and explains the rules for adding case markers (vibhakti chinha).
- Provides detailed declension paradigms for various types of nouns:
  - A-ending nouns (akaranta shabda) like 'Deva,' 'Vira,' 'Vachha,' 'Dhamma,' 'Haha.'
  - I-ending nouns (ikarante shabda) like 'Hari,' 'Giri,' 'Naravai,' 'Isi.'
  - U-ending nouns (ukaranta shabda) like 'Agni,' 'Bhānu,' 'Vāu,' 'Pahi,' 'Gāmani,' 'Khalpū,' 'Swayambhū.'
  - Feminine A-ending nouns (akaranta striling shabda) like 'Ladā,' 'Mālā.'
  - Feminine I-ending nouns (ikārānta strīling shabda) like 'Chihā,' 'Haliddā,' 'Maṭṭiyā.'
  - Feminine I-ending nouns (ikārānta strīling shabda) like 'Mūtti,' 'Rāi.'
  - Feminine I-ending nouns (ikārānta strīling shabda) like 'Lachchhī,' 'Rupigī.'
  - Feminine U-ending nouns (ugārānta strīling shabda) like 'Tanū,' 'Rajju,' 'Bahū.'
  - Feminine U-ending nouns (ugārānta strīling shabda) like 'Sāsū,' 'Chamū.'
  - Feminine AA-ending nouns (āgārānta strīling shabda) like 'Māā,' 'Sasā,' 'Nanadā.'
  - Feminine IA-ending nouns (āiyānta strīling shabda) like 'Māūsiā,' 'Dhūā.'
  - Feminine I-ending nouns (igārānta strīling shabda) like 'Gāvī,' 'Nāvā.'
  - Neuter nouns (napunsakling) like 'Vag,' 'Dhana.'
  - Neuter I-ending nouns (ikārānta napunsakling) like 'Dahi,' 'Vari,' 'Surahi,' 'Madhu.'
  - Neuter U-ending nouns (ukarānta napunsakling) like 'Jāṇū,' 'Aṁsu.'
  - Various other word declensions are also covered, including pronominal declensions (savva, tva, yad, kim, idam, adas, etc.), numbers (sankhyavachak shabda), and indeclinables (avyay).
Chapter 7: Avyay aur Nipat (Indeclinables and Particles)
- Defines indeclinables (avyaya) and particles (nipat).
- Details the twenty Prakrit prefixes (upasarg).
- Explains various categories of indeclinables: adverbs (kriyāvisheṣaṇ), conjunctions (samuccaybodhak avyay), and interjections (manovikār/sūchak avyay).
- Includes an index of particles (nipāton ki anukramaṇikā).
Chapter 8: Karak, Samas aur Taddhit (Karakas, Compounds, and Taddhita Suffixes)
- Discusses the definitions and rules of Karakas (case relations) in Prakrit, noting that Prakrit grammar often treats the genitive (shashṭhi) case as covering the functions of the dative (chaturthi).
- Explains various types of Samas (compounds), including Avyayibhav, Tatpurush (with its sub-types like pradi-tatpurush, upapad, karmadharaya, dvigu), and Bahuvrihi.
- Details Taddhita suffixes, classifying them into eight categories and providing rules and examples for their usage.
Chapter 9: Kriya Vichar (Verb Conjugation)
- Covers the essential rules for understanding verb forms.
- Explains rules related to the modification of roots (vikara sambandhi niyam).
- Details the formation of verbs in different moods and tenses: present (vartaman), past (bhut), future (bhavishyat), imperative/subjunctive (vidhi-āgyā), and conditional (kriyātipatti).
- Provides conjugation paradigms for various roots, including causative (preranarthak), desiderative (desiderative), and frequentative (frequentative) verbs.
- Includes a lexicon of roots (dhatu kosh).
Chapter 10: Anya Prakrit Bhashayein (Other Prakrit Languages)
- Discusses the specific grammatical tendencies, declensions, conjugations, and suffixes of various Prakrit languages:
  - Sauraseni: Phonetic changes, rules, word-forms, verb-forms, krit suffixes, and sample roots.
  - Jain Sauraseni: Specific phonetic changes and rules.
  - Magadhi: Phonetic changes, word-forms, and verb-forms.
  - Ardha Magadhi: Definition, arrangement, phonetic changes, word-forms, taddhita suffixes, and verb-forms.
  - Jain Maharashtri: Basic tendencies and phonetic changes.
  - Paishachi: Phonetic changes, word-forms, verb-forms, and krudanta.
  - Chulika Paishachi: Phonetic changes.
Chapter 11: Apabhramsa (Apabhramsa)
- Discusses the history and structure of Apabhramsa.
- Details phonetic changes, vowel/consonant augmentation (āgama), metathesis (viparyay), and changes (vikara).
- Explains rules for Apabhramsa word-forms and provides declension paradigms for various noun and pronoun types.
- Covers verb conjugation rules, root modifications (dhātudesh), and krudanta formations in Apabhramsa.

Key Features Highlighted in the Preface:

Emphasis on Prakrit in Prakrit: The author notes the absence of comprehensive Prakrit grammars written entirely in Prakrit, unlike Pali grammars. He infers the existence of such Prakrit grammars from the linguistic material found in Ardha Magadhi texts.
Linguistic Principles: The book incorporates linguistic principles of sound changes, elision, Prakriti-bhava, and vikar (transformation).
Comprehensive Coverage: The grammar covers a wide range of topics including phonetic changes, sandhi, declensions, feminine bases, case government, compounds, primary and secondary suffixes, moods and tenses, degrees of comparison, conjugation of roots, denominative, desiderative, causative, and frequentative verbs, and a lexicon of roots.
Dialectal Variations: It specifically addresses the characteristics of Sauraseni, Magadhi, Ardha Magadhi, Jain Maharashtri, Paishachi, Chulika-Paishachi, and Apabhramsa.
Scholarly Foundation: The author draws upon and discusses existing Prakrit grammars such as those by Chand, Vararuchi (Prakritaprakash), and Hemachandra (Siddhahem Shabdanushasan), providing context and building upon their work.
Accessibility: The book is designed to be understandable for those who may not have prior extensive knowledge of Sanskrit grammar, aiming to explain Prakrit disciplines comprehensively within a single volume.
Detailed Sections: Specific chapters are dedicated to extensive lists and rules for feminine bases, case government, verb conjugations, and a root lexicon.
Linguistic Principles Integrated: The grammar incorporates many linguistic principles like vowel and consonant loss, assimilation, dissimilation, voicing, unvoicing, epenthesis, and metathesis.
Pedagogical Approach: The inclusion of examples from various Prakrit languages in sandhi and samas sections, along with footnotes referencing the sutras of key grammarians like Hemachandra and Vararuchi, enhances its pedagogical value.
Appendices: The book includes appendices with example indices and usage lists to aid learners.

In essence, "Abhinav Prakrit Vyakaran" is presented as a modern, thorough, and accessible grammar of Prakrit, synthesizing previous scholarship and offering a systematic approach to understanding the nuances of these important ancient Indian languages.