Hemchandracharya Aur Unka Siddha Hem Vyakaran - Book Summary

Here is a comprehensive summary of the provided Jain text about Hemchandracharya and his Siddha Hem Vyakarana:

The text, titled "Hemchandracharya aur Unka Siddha Hem Vyakaran" by Prof. Arun Joshi, discusses the life and grammatical work of Acharya Hemchandracharya, a prominent figure in Gujarat's history.

Historical Context and Hemchandracharya's Life:

The book is set in Gujarat around 800 years ago, during the Solanki era, a period of prosperity and culture.
Kings like Siddharaj Jaisingh and Kumarpal ruled Gujarat, ushering in a golden age. Acharya Hemchandracharya was their royal preceptor and was known as "Kalikalsarvajna" (the omniscient of the Kali Yuga).
Hemchandracharya was born in Dhundhuka, near Ahmedabad, into the Modh Vanik community. His birth name was Changdev. He was initiated by Acharya Dev Chand Suri and later named Somchandra. Upon receiving his Acharya title, he became known as Hemchandracharya.
During his 84-year life, he made significant literary contributions, including a new grammar, a new prosody (Chhandoshastra), elaborating on the Dvyashraya Mahakavya and Alankara Shastra, authoring the Yoga Shastra, and compiling the biographies of Tirthankaras.

The Siddha Hem Vyakarana:

The "new grammar" mentioned in the verse is the Siddha Hem Vyakarana, also known as Shabdānushāsan.
Siddharaj Jaisingh, after conquering Malwa, acquired Bhoja's grammar "Sarasvati Kanthabharana." He desired a superior grammar to be written in Gujarat and entrusted this task to Hemchandracharya.
Hemchandracharya completed this monumental grammar in just one year, naming it "Siddha Hem." This work cemented the immortality of both Siddharaj and Hemachandra. The text was displayed with great reverence on an elephant in the city of Patan.
The text emphasizes that no one has dared to write such a comprehensive grammar for Sanskrit and Prakrit languages since Hemachandra.

Structure and Content of Siddha Hem:

Following the tradition, Hemchandracharya begins the text with a Mangalacharan (auspicious invocation) to the Paramatman (Supreme Soul). The first sutra is "Arham," an indeclinable word significant in Jain tradition, representing God.
Acharya clarifies that "Arham" is not specific to Jainism but a term that can be understood universally. He explains:
- 'A' represents Vishnu.
- 'Ra' represents Brahma.
- 'Ha' represents Shiva.
- 'M' represents the crescent moon signifying Moksha (liberation).
The grammar consists of eight chapters:
- The first seven chapters are dedicated to Sanskrit grammar.
- The eighth chapter is dedicated to Prakrit grammar.

Details of Sanskrit Grammar (Chapters 1-7):

Chapter 1: Deals with nouns, vowel and consonant sandhi, and the formation of noun declensions, with 241 sutras.
Chapter 2: Continues the discussion on noun declensions, explaining their usage and meaning in 460 sutras.
Chapter 3: Covers compounds (Samasa) and verb forms in 521 sutras.
Chapter 4: Focuses on verb conjugations in 481 sutras.
Chapter 5: Discusses Kridanta (verbal derivatives) in 498 sutras.
Chapter 6: Deals with Tadita (suffixation) in 692 sutras.
Chapter 7: Concludes the Sanskrit grammar, continuing the discussion on Tadita.

Examples of Sanskrit Grammar Sutras:

The text provides examples of the grammatical rules:

Hrasva-Dirgha-Pluta: Definitions of short, long, and protracted vowel pronunciations based on syllable duration.
Kadih Vyanjanam: Definition of consonants as letters between 'Ka' and 'Ha', mentioning 33 consonants.
Adya-Dwitiya-Shashasa Aghoshah: Identification of unvoiced consonants (e.g., k, ch, t, th, p, kh, chh, thh, phh, sh, shh, s).
Anyo Ghoshvan: All other consonants are voiced.
Yaralva Antasthah: 'Ya', 'Ra', 'La', 'Va' are semi-vowels.
Swatantra Karta: The independent agent in an action is the subject.
Kartuh Vyapyam Karma: The object directly affected by the subject's action is the object.
Sadhatamam Karanam: The most effective instrument in an action is the instrumental case.
Karmābhipretah Sampradanam: That which the subject intends to achieve through the object or action is the dative case.
Apāye' pādānam: Separation or detachment from a fixed point is the ablative case.
Kriyāśrayasyādhāne adhikaraṇam: The base or support of the action is the locative case.
Girinadīnam: Optional change of 'n' to 'ṇ' in words like 'giri' and 'nadī'.

Prakrit Grammar (Chapter 8):

The eighth chapter is dedicated to Prakrit grammar, covering various Prakrit languages like Maharashtri, Shauraseni, and Apabhramsha.
Hemachandra included Prakrit grammar to enable the understanding of vernacular language composition, as Lord Mahavir's teachings were in Prakrit for the common people.
This chapter contains one thousand sutras and also includes Doha couplets to illustrate the living nature of the language.
The text highlights the importance of understanding Prakrit for the history of modern languages like Gujarati, Hindi, Marathi, and Bengali.
Hemchandracharya is considered a leading grammarian of the Western school of Prakrit grammar.
The first edition of this chapter was compiled by the foreign scholar Pischel.

Examples of Prakrit Grammar Sutras:

Swarasya Udvetta: Defines the retained vowel after the elision of a consonant.
Sware Antarashcha: Rules for the non-elision of 'r' after prefixes like 'antar', 'nir', 'dur'.
Mansadehah Va: Optional elision of the nasal sound in words like 'māṃsa'.
Ish Hare Va: Optional change of the initial 'a' to 'ī' in the word 'hara'.
Dware Va: Optional change of 'ā' to 'e' in the word 'dvāra'.
Kirāta Cha: The transformation of 'k' in 'kirāta' to 'ch' in Prakrit.
Sthūle Laḥ Raḥ: The change of 'l' to 'r' in words derived from Sanskrit 'sthūla'.
Gṛhasya Gharah Apatāu: The change of 'gṛha' to 'ghara' when not compounded with 'pati'.

Influences and Contributions:

While Hemachandra acknowledges some predecessors with terms like "kechin, kashchin anya," the influence of Chandra and Vararuci on his Prakrit grammar is evident.
Vararuci is considered the earliest Prakrit grammarian, though Panini is also said to have written a "Prakrita Lakshana."
Hemachandra used the term "Nyaya" for definitions or metarules, devising three levels of approach for students of varying abilities.
He simplified the complexities found in Panini's "Ashtadhyayi," focusing on clarity and ease of understanding for students, and was largely influenced by Shakatayana in this endeavor.
In essence, Hemchandracharya aimed to simplify the grammatical tradition established by Panini, expanded by Patanjali, commented upon by Jayaditya and Kaiyata, and stabilized by Nagesha Pandita.

Criticism and Defense:

The text mentions Dr. Dolchinitz's criticism of the "Siddha Hem" as lacking completeness, maturity, and originality in its Prakrit grammar.
However, the author of the article disagrees with this criticism after reviewing the text.

The summary concludes with philosophical reflections on love and unity, attributing the latter to the unifying power of love, and mentioning Mahasati Shri Champakunvarji M.S.