Paramparagat Prakrit Vyakaran Ki Samiksha Aur Ardhamagadhi A Pustakno Parichay - Book Summary

This is a comprehensive summary of the Jain text "Paramparagat Prakrit Vyakaran ki Samiksha Aur Ardhamagadhi A Pustakno Parichay" by K. R. Chandra, as presented on pages 1, 2, and 3 of the provided excerpt:

Book Title: Paramparagat Prakrit Vyakaran ki Samiksha Aur Ardhamagadhi A Pustakno Parichay (A Review of Traditional Prakrit Grammar and an Introduction to Ardhamagadhi Literature)

Author: K. R. Chandra

Publisher: ZZ_Anusandhan (Information from the catalog link) / Prākr̥ta Jain Vidyāvikāsa Phaṇḍa, Amadāvāda (Publication details at the end of the excerpt).

Overall Scope: The book consists of 15 chapters that specifically discuss phonetic changes in Prakrit languages and their grammatical rules. It analyzes the rules provided by Prakrit grammarians, their applicability to available Prakrit literature, and their analysis in light of the Prakrit found in inscriptions.

Key Points and Analyses Presented in the Excerpt:

Origin of Prakrit: The text examines Bharata Muni's view on the origin of Prakrit and its relationship with Sanskrit. It concludes that Sanskrit was used as a basis for understanding Prakrit, rather than Prakrit originating from Sanskrit.
Intervocalic 't' to 'd' Transformation: The study questions whether this change is exclusive to Shauraseni and Magadhi or if it also occurs in Maharastri Prakrit and general Prakrit, citing Vararuci's grammar for instances of 't' being replaced by 'd'.
Intervocalic 'p' to 'v' Transformation: The text investigates the extent to which the rule of intervocalic 'p' generally changing to 'v' is applicable to ancient Prakrit languages.
Loss of Intervocalic Voiced Aspirated Consonants (Alpapraṇa Vyanjana): The author argues that the rule regarding the frequent loss of intervocalic alpaprāṇa consonants does not apply to Ardhamagadhi or older Prakrit languages.
Use of 'y' for Udvrtta Vowels: While considered a characteristic of Jain Prakrit literature, the text notes that this practice of using 'y' in place of udvrtta (elevated) vowels is also found in inscriptions.
Conjunct Nasal Consonants: The use of conjunct nasal consonants like ṅ and ñ (velar and palatal) with their respective class consonants is identified as an ancient practice. The text suggests that in Ardhamagadhi, these were replaced by anusvāra (nasalization) in later periods.
Initial Dental 'n' vs. Cerebral 'ṇ': The use of the dental 'n' at the beginning of words was prevalent in ancient Prakrit languages, while the cerebral 'ṇ' became a feature of later periods.
Intervocalic 'n' and Vararuci's Influence: The tradition of using the dental 'n' intervocalically is also ancient. However, due to the rules of later grammarians, the cerebral 'ṇ' gradually became more common in older Prakrits. The significant influence of Vararuci's Prakrit grammar on these changes is highlighted as an undisputed fact.
'jña', 'nya', and 'nn' to Dental 'nn': The transformation of 'jña', 'nya', and 'n' to the dental 'nn' is considered ancient. Conversely, the use of cerebral 'ṇṇ' is seen as a later trend. The text also notes that the conjunct consonants 'ṇya' and 'rṇa' change to the dental 'tra' in the ancient inscriptions of Eastern India. This implies that the prevalent use of 'ṇṇ' in place of 'nn' in Ardhamagadhi deviates from its original form.
(Covered in point 9 regarding 'jña', 'nya', 'nn')
Case Endings: Both '-ssi' and '-mhi' are identified as ancient locative singular case endings. The later prevalence of '-mmi' is attributed to Maharastri Prakrit, not Ardhamagadhi.
Other Case Endings: The text identifies several ancient case endings in Prakrit:
- Nominative/Accusative Plural: '-ṇi'
- Instrumental Singular: '-eṇa'
- Instrumental Plural: '-hi'
- Genitive Plural: '-ṇaṁ'
- Locative Plural: '-su' These ancient endings later evolved into '-i', '-eṇaṁ', '-hiṁ', '-hiṃ', '-ṇa', and '-suṁ' respectively, and are found more commonly in later Prakrits. Even Ardhamagadhi, as an ancient Prakrit, was not entirely free from the influence of these later endings, suggesting they infiltrated the original Ardhamagadhi.
Intervocalic 'Ṇa' (Cerebral 'ṇ'): The intervocalic 'Ṇa' (used in Vedic and Pali, corresponding to Gujarati 'ḷ', Marathi-Rajasthani 'ḷ') was also present in ancient Prakrit. However, in later periods, it was replaced by 'la' and 'ḍa'. It is suggested that the loss of 'ḷ' from Ardhamagadhi in later periods is not inappropriate to state.
Coexistence of Ancient and Later Endings in Ardhamagadhi: Ardhamagadhi literature exhibits the simultaneous use of both ancient and later case endings. This could be due to negligence or a deliberate effort to simplify the language for later readers. The Jain or Shraman tradition placed more emphasis on meaning than on strict adherence to linguistic form, unlike the Vedic tradition.
Re-editing of Ardhamagadhi Texts: Based on manuscripts from Jaisalmer, new editions of texts like 'Viśēṣāvaśyaka-bhāṣya' have seen significant changes in word forms concerning phonetic changes. The author advocates for prioritizing ancient word forms found in manuscripts of ancient texts like Ardhamagadhi Agamas, and suggests that these texts should be re-edited from this perspective. The text also points out that changes in ancient and later writing styles might have led to confusion, where 'n' could be read as 'ṇ', thus increasing the possibility of 'n' being converted to 'ṇ'.

Conclusion: The primary outcome of this study and analysis is the assertion that in ancient Eastern Indian languages like Ardhamagadhi, any alterations that occurred due to the rules of later Prakrits and grammarians should be rectified by re-establishing the ancient word forms based on authentic sources.

Publication Information:

Publisher: Prākr̥ta Jain Vidyāvikāsa Phaṇḍa, Amadāvāda
Year: 1995
Pages: 130
Price: (Not specified in the excerpt)