Morphological Evidence For Dialectal Variety In Jaina Maharastri - Book Summary

Here is a comprehensive summary of Nalini Balbir's "Morphological Evidence For Dialectal Variety In Jaina Maharastri" in English, based on the provided text:

This paper by Nalini Balbir investigates the morphological evidence for dialectal variations within Jaina Māhārāștrī (JM), a literary Prakrit. Balbir defines "dialect" in this context as understood by Pischel, encompassing recognized varieties like Ardhamāgadhi (AMg), Māgadhī, Māhārāștrī, and Apabhramsa. The study focuses on two main groups of texts:

Early Exegetical Texts: This group includes the niryuktis (metrical catch-word commentaries) and bhāṣyas (commentaries) which form the earliest layer of Jaina canonical exegesis. Examples include the Ayāranga-, Sūyagada-, Dasaveyāliya-, Uttarajjhāyā-, and Oha-niryuktis, as well as the Bṛhatkalpabhāṣya and Niśītha-bhāṣya. The Avasyaka-niryukti and bhāṣya are given special emphasis.
Early Narrative Works: This group comprises narrative texts such as the Vasudevahindi (prose), and the Tarangavaī and Paumacariya (verse). It also includes the cūrṇis (prose explanations of niryuktis) and Prakrit portions of later tīkās (commentaries), with the Āvaśyaka-cūrņi and Haribhadra's tīkā being prominent.

While these two groups differ in style and content, they exhibit linguistic unity and can be considered "specimens of Archaic Jaina Māhārāștrī." The study's aim is to identify and analyze morphological features that indicate dialectal influences within this corpus, specifically forms that are ordinary in other dialects but appear sporadically in JM.

Balbir identifies three main categories of dialectal influence:

I. Influence of Ardhamāgadhi (AMg) on Jaina Māhārāștrī (JM):

The -e Nominative Singular: A hallmark of AMg, the masculine nominative singular in -e for -a stems is conspicuous by its absence in the narrative works, which exclusively use -o. However, it is frequently found in the enumerative verses of the exegetical texts. The author notes that the situation is complex, with both -e and -o appearing side-by-side, and even in traditionally neuter nouns, suggesting a possible loss of gender distinction or a remnant of AMg influence.
Lengthening before -ka-: The Eastern feature of lengthening vowels before the -ka- suffix (e.g., -āka, -uka) is sporadically present in the niryuktis, appearing in comparatives like vipulatarāgam and nouns like mūlāgam.
Locative in -msi: This locative singular ending, characteristic of AMg, appears in JM texts, often in contexts strongly influenced by canonical phraseology, such as mythological narratives.
Instrumental in -asā: Similar to the locative, the instrumental singular in -asā, used adverbially for -a stems, is found in specific contexts, often reflecting canonical expressions.
Absolutive in -ttānam: Considered an Eastern feature, this absolutive form is found in narrative JM texts and also in the niryuktis, even appearing alongside the more common -tūņa suffix.
"Ātmanepada" Aorist in -itthā: This ending, common in the Canonical language, is preserved in the Tarangavaī and the Āvaśyaka-niryukti.
Present 1st Person Singular in -am: This form, instead of the expected -āmi, is noted as an AMg and JM feature, appearing in the Vasudevahindi, Tarangavaī, and Mahānisiha-sutta, and once in the Āvaśyaka-niryukti.
Optatives in -e used as Preterites: Known in Sanskrit and found in the Uttarajjhāyā, these forms also occur in the niryukti-language and are often glossed by Sanskrit commentaries as aorists or past participles.
Past Participle in -tavam: The Avyakta-cūrṇi retains this form, for which Pischel gave a single example. It can have a passive meaning.
Indeclinable Ending -ī(y)a: This form, functioning as an imperfect, aorist, or perfect, is found in the Vasudevahindi, Tarangavaī, and the Āvaśyaka-niryukti. It appears to be a polyvalent, fossilized form used in various persons and numbers.

II. Peculiar Forms and Innovations in JM:

This section discusses forms that don't clearly belong to any known dialect but appear to be ephemeral innovations or attempts at standardization within JM.

Oblique Ending -āe: This ending attached to masculine stems like piyā (father) and rāyā (king) is used as an instrumental or genitive-dative. These forms appear frequently in the prose commentaries of the Āvaśyaka texts. The author suggests a possible analogy with feminine -ā stems leading to a gender neutralization. These forms, however, were not widely adopted and seem to have disappeared quickly, possibly due to ambiguity or attempts at normalization by later scribes.
Active Past Participles in -āio / -āiā: Found in the Āvaśyaka prose commentaries and the last verse of the Sūyagada-nijjutti, these forms are likely counterparts to Pali and Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit derivatives in -tavin. Attempts were made to normalize or replace them with passive constructions or different verb forms in parallel texts.

III. Traces of Apabhramśa Influence:

Shortening of Final Vowels: Shortened final vowels in feminine -ā stems (e.g., citta-sabha, Mihila) and -ī stems (e.g., devi, adavi) are observed in the niryuktis and prose commentaries. These are consistent with normal Apabhramśa usage, but their presence in enumerative verses, bound by metrical constraints, requires caution.
Apabhramśa Absolutives: Unquestionable Apabhramśa absolutive forms like -evi, -eppi, -eviņu are noted in narrative JM works, though attempts to find them in the Vasudevahindi are considered less convincing by the author. Examples are found in quoted narrative stanzas within commentaries, such as a stanza with jāņeppi and māreviņu, which later commentators reinterpreted or normalized.
First Person Singular in -ami: This ending, common in Apabhramśa, is occasionally found in JM texts like the Mahānisiha-sutta.
Postpositions -tanaya and -ccaya: The declinable postpositions -tanaya and -ccaya, common in Apabhramśa, are used with pronominal bases in narrative works and canonical prose commentaries.
Past Participles in -ellaya: The frequent use of these participles, particularly in the Āvaśyaka prose commentaries, is attributed to popular speech influence. They function as adjectives with a resultative value or as pluperfects. These forms foreshadow the -I- participles of Western Neo-Indian languages.

IV. "Authentic" Ardhamāgadhi (AMg) in Vaitālīya Stanzas:

Balbir draws attention to vaitālīya stanzas preserved in the Uttarajjhāyā-nijjutti, the Maṇipaticarita, and the Bṛhatkalpabhāṣya. These verses are characterized by the retention of l for r and the presence of specific AMg features like the -e nominative singular. They are considered important as remnants of the original Eastern dialect predating the "canonical" AMg and representing a "missing link" in linguistic history. The author notes that standardization efforts by scribes may have obscured more such instances.
- One such stanza, quoted in the Āvaśyaka tradition, describes an historical event related to Ajātaśatru and Vaiśālī, clearly exhibiting AMg characteristics. Variants in this stanza show tendencies towards normalization.
- Five vaitālīya verses in the Bṛhatkalpabhāṣya discussing the distribution of clothes among monks also display AMg features, including the -e nominative singular and the l-sound for r. A Sanskrit commentator explicitly notes the Magadha-bhāṣā-lakṣaṇa of using l for r. These verses also show a conflict between conservatism and normalization, with some forms being altered or clarified.

Conclusion:

The paper concludes by summarizing the main tendencies observed:

A distinction can be made between the two corpus groups regarding dialectal influences.
AMg influence on JM is partly stylistic, with many shared linguistic features.
Apabhramśa influence is less evident morphologically, possibly linked to common speech, and requires further phonological and lexical analysis.
Innovations or intrusive dialect forms are often eliminated or normalized.
Writers and commentators rarely notice or comment on these dialectal variations, suggesting they were not surprising to them. Their grammatical observations mostly focus on deviations from Sanskrit grammar attributed to prākṛta-śailī, with Uddyotanasūri's Kuvalayamālā being a notable exception for acknowledging linguistic variety in daily life.