On Early Apbhramsa

This document, "On Early Apabhramsa" by H.C. Bhayani, is a scholarly article that delves into the linguistic characteristics of early Apabhramsa, a transitional language between Prakrit and modern Indo-Aryan languages, primarily focusing on its earlier period (6th to 12th centuries AD).

Here's a comprehensive summary of the key points:

1. Establishment and Nature of Early Apabhramsa:

• Literary Status: By the 7th century AD, Apabhramsa was recognized as a literary language alongside Sanskrit, Prakrit, and Paisaci.
• Grammatical Tradition vs. Linguistic Reality: While grammarians like Hemacandra treated Apabhramsa as a single language (akin to Mahārāṣṭrī Prakrit), later grammarians like Namisādhu and Bhoja noted some regional variations. From a linguistic standpoint, early Apabhramsa (6th-12th centuries) was standardized but not uniform, being influenced by regional spoken dialects and Sanskrit/Prakrit.
• Challenges in Reconstruction: The absence of Apabhramsa works from the first two centuries and the later dating of surviving manuscripts (often modernized) make it difficult to reconstruct its earliest forms. Scholars rely on scattered remnants as clues.

2. Key Phonological Features of Early Apabhramsa:

The article highlights several distinctive phonological features of early Apabhramsa, often contrasting them with later developments or those present in standardized grammatical treatments:

• Intervocalic Consonant Changes:
  • Voicing: Hemacandra (Siddhahemacandra 8-4-396) notes the change of intervocalic k, kh, t, th, p, ph to g, gh, d, dh, v, bh respectively.
  • Absence in Many Examples: The author observes that many illustrations cited by Hemacandra, and generally in known Apabhramsa literature, do not show these changes. This suggests that the "typical" changes noted by grammarians might not have been universally prevalent or might represent later standardization.
• Preservation of r in Clusters:
  • Hemacandra (8-4-398) mentions the optional preservation of r when it's the second element in a consonant cluster (e.g., bra-, dru-).
  • This feature is found, though rarely, in early Apabhramsa literature.
• Change of Sanskrit bra- to bruv- or bro-:
  • Hemacandra (8-4-391) notes this as a characteristic feature. Examples like bruvaha, broppi, and broppinu are cited.
• Sauraseni Influence: Hemacandra frequently states that Apabhramsa changes are "same or generally the same as in Sauraseni" (e.g., 8-4-260, 267, 274, 275, 422, 446), particularly concerning the intervocalic consonant changes.
• Absolute Forms: The article notes the presence of absolute forms ending in -im and -ppi (e.g., kappim, genheppi, broppiņu, broppi, jeppi, gampi, gameppi, jineppi) as potentially archaic features.
• Intrusive r: The form pravu (< Skt. pāpam) with an intrusive r is mentioned as a peculiarity of Apabhramsa, inherited by Gujarati.

3. Evidence from Specific Texts and Metres:

The author illustrates these points with examples from various texts and poetic meters:

• Mātrā and Raddā Metres: Verses in these meters, considered among the earliest Apabhramsa poetic forms, consistently show r-preserving forms and voiced intervocalic stops. This supports the idea that these meters reflect an early stratum of Apabhramsa poetry, predating later standardization influenced by literary Mahārāṣṭrī.
• Hemacandra's Illustrations: The article analyzes specific verses cited by Hemacandra to illustrate rules, pointing out where the rules are exemplified and where they are not. For instance, a verse cited for rule 8-4-446 shows forms with -d- derived from -t-, and another for 8-4-422 illustrates the preservation of r.
• Namisādhu's Commentary: Namisādhu's commentary on Rudrata's Kāvyālamkāra is cited for examples of r-preservation in clusters and the change of -t- to -d-.
• Uddyotana's Kuvalayamāla (779 AD): This work is rich in rustic colloquialisms and shows an abundance of r-preserving forms and forms with the -t- > -d- change.
• Sanghadāsagani's Vāsuvdevahiṇḍi (ca. 6th century): This work contains an admixture of Apabhramsa forms, particularly the absolute forms ending in -im and -ppi.
• Vasudevahiṇḍi-Madhyamakhaṇḍa (ca. 700 AD): The language of this work provides evidence for the use of Sauraseni phonological features in Apabhramsa, including unchanged intervocalic -t- and voiced intervocalic stops. The author suggests that early literary Apabhramsa was characterized by Sauraseni features, while later Apabhramsa adopted Mahārāṣṭrī features.

4. Regional vs. Universal Features:

• The author acknowledges that it's unclear whether these distinctive Apabhramsa features were universal or regional (dialectal).
• The hypothesis that r-preservation was a characteristic of the "Vracada" variety of Apabhramsa is mentioned but with a caveat about limited evidence.
• The article critiques earlier scholarly attempts to classify Apabhramsa variations as purely sectarian or regional, suggesting they were based on flawed assumptions and incomplete evidence.

5. Conclusion:

The article concludes that the features discussed, particularly intervocalic voicing and r-preservation in clusters, along with absolute forms in -ppi, characterize an early stratum of Apabhramsa literature. These features were more prominent in early Apabhramsa, especially in meters like Mātrā and Raddā, before later standardization under the influence of literary Mahārāṣṭrī Prakrit. The study emphasizes the dynamic nature of language evolution and the importance of examining diverse textual evidence to understand the nuances of historical linguistic stages.