Prakrit Shabdakosh Ke Liye Prashnavali - Book Summary

Here is a comprehensive summary in English of the Jain text "Prakrit Shabdakosh Ke Liye Prashnavali" (Questionnaire for a Prakrit Dictionary) by A.M. Ghatage:

This document is a detailed questionnaire circulated by A.M. Ghatage, associated with the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute in Pune, India, to scholars for the creation of a comprehensive Prakrit dictionary. It seeks expert opinions on various crucial aspects of dictionary compilation to ensure its thoroughness and utility.

The questionnaire is structured around several key themes, posing specific questions to gather feedback:

1. Scope and Inclusion:

Inclusion of all Prakrit words: Should all words from grammatical texts be included, even those without explicit literary references? How to handle words with similar pronunciation but different etymology/meaning?
Time Period: What should be the lower limit for inclusion? Is 1500 CE a suitable cutoff? Scholars are asked to suggest texts after this period.
Grammatical Terms: Should all verbal roots and their modifications mentioned in grammars be included, even if not found in available literature?
Desi Words: Should the meanings of "Desi" (native) words in dictionaries be given in Sanskrit, or should their general Sanskrit equivalents be provided even if not used in literature?
Inscriptions: Should other Prakrit inscriptions (besides Ashoka's, which are already cataloged) be included? In which Prakrit language should they be classified?
Phonetic Variations: Should words with elided long vowels, short vowels, single letters, or double consonants be included due to the resulting phonetic changes in Prakrit words?

2. Handling of Textual Material:

Mixed Language Texts: How should material be collected from texts that are a mix of Sanskrit and Prakrit? How to quote when a single sentence is partly in Prakrit and partly in Sanskrit?
Jain and Non-Jain Literature: Should the dictionary include words from philosophical treatises like Dhavala, Jayadhavala, and Mahadhavala, or limit itself to specific doctrines? How to handle words from Sanskrit dramatic literature and traditional languages versus those in Alankara Shastra and biographical chronicles?
Proverbs and Sayings: Should proverbs and sayings (Nyaya) be included, regardless of length? Are there many such sayings in Prakrit literature? Should the stories behind them also be included for understanding?
Translations of Examples: Is it necessary to provide translations for all cited examples, or only for some, or only for doubtful cases?
Unknown Etymology: Should the origin of words be explicitly stated as unknown, or should it be left to the reader's inference?
Loanwords: Should the origin of words borrowed from languages other than Sanskrit be mentioned?
Compound Words: How to justify the inclusion of two-word and three-word compounds where the first and third words have a direct relationship? What is the opinion on long compound words formed through bipartite division in Jain literature like Sthananga, Samavāyanga, and Nadi Sūtra?

3. Lexicographical and Grammatical Considerations:

Etymology and Meaning: Should Sanskrit synonyms be provided with etymological explanations and diacritical marks? Should other languages besides Sanskrit be consulted for etymology, similar to M. Mayrhofer's Pali lexicon?
Root Forms: Should the base form (prātipadika) or the nominative singular form be used for dictionary entries? What to do with Apabhramsha words where long vowels in the nominative singular become short?
Suffixes: What should be the base form of Sanskrit words with suffixes indicating possession (matvartheeya)? Should the final vowel in Prakrit be 'i' or 'ī'?
Quotations: How should quotations from poetry or hymns be cited without Sanskrit equivalents? How to indicate the specific Prakrit synonym?
Difficult Words: What policy should be adopted for obscure words? Should they be divided and their root forms placed appropriately, or should multiple meanings be given in one place? Special attention is needed for meanings indicated by compound marks (sambhanga reṣhayukta).
Homonyms: How to differentiate between words with similar pronunciation? Should their grammatical forms or Sanskrit equivalents be shown if they differ? How to indicate compounds that result in similar-sounding words, possibly using hyphens in Devanagari?
Adverbial Forms: Should adverbs derived from nouns be included within the noun entries or listed separately as adverbs?
Verbs (Dhatu): How should verbs be presented? Should they be given in their vowel-ending form according to Prakrit grammar, or in the third-person singular form like in the Critical Pali Dictionary?
Verb Forms: Should Prakrit verbs be presented in their vowel-ending form? How to distinguish between different forms of verbs ending in 'a', such as "suṇaha" and "suṇeha"?
Verb Classes and Moods: Sanskrit verbs are listed with their classes (gana) and moods (pada). Since Prakrit grammarians do not mention these, should they be omitted? Are there other classification methods to consider?
Secondary Verb Forms: Should secondary verb forms like causative, passive, and desiderative be given separately or integrated within the main verb entries?
Prefixes: Should verbs with prefixes be listed independently or incorporated into the base verb?
Prepositional Phrases: Is it permissible to not list prepositions (upasarga) or motion verbs when they appear before nouns?
Suffixes: Should words formed with suffixes like 'ta', 'tā', or 'ttaṇa' be considered mandatory? Is it necessary to note the specific use or provide separate entries for citation words?
Words from Grammarians: Is it necessary to cite grammarians' references when including words?

4. Classification of Words and Forms:

Grammatical Categories: What classification system should be adopted? Eight parts of speech like in Pāṇini's grammar, or Sanskrit's nouns, verbs, and indeclinables? Or a combined approach?
Word Classification Criteria: Should words be classified solely by their part of speech? Is it acceptable to omit word relations or derivation if deemed necessary or convenient?
Indeclinables: Can indeclinable nouns suffice for adjectives, participles, postpositions, and prefixes? Should adjectives, pronouns, and numerical adjectives that have various forms be included in the noun category?
Verb Forms Documentation: Should only the documentation of different verb forms be provided, or should their person, number, tense, etc., be included?
Irregular/Variant Forms: Should only irregular or variant forms of verbs be noted? Should the same approach be taken for noun forms?
Noun Forms Presentation: Should all noun forms be presented in one place, or should they be divided into different meanings with examples, declensions, and numbers? (Referencing the Critical Pali Dictionary's "ākāra").

5. Orthography and Transliteration:

Devanagari Script: Should Prakrit words and their Sanskrit equivalents be provided in Devanagari?
Yati (Caesura): Is it preferable to follow Hemachandra's rule of placing "y" after "a" or "ā"? Should it be used universally? Or should it be considered a feature specific to Jain literature, absent in non-Jain literature and dramas? Are there other ways to maintain consistency?
Vowel Nasalization: Should the nasalization of vowels be considered a distinguishing feature of Prakrit? Will it affect alphabetical order? If the nasalization mark itself is considered a character, how will it impact ordering?
'N' and 'Na' Usage: What is the preferred method for writing 'n' (न) and 'ṇ' (ण)? Should they be represented as found in various texts, or consistently as 'ṇ' (ण) according to "Paiyasaddamahaṇṇava"? How to handle words like "varṇa" from "varna" and "praṇā" from "prajñā"?
'T' and 'Y' in Transcriptions: What is the opinion on the phenomenon of 't' appearing where Sanskrit has 't', but which is not mentioned by Prakrit grammarians but is found in manuscripts?
- Should the original Sanskrit 't' be retained?
- Or should 'y' be used instead of 't'?
- Should 't' be transcribed as 'y' or 'y' as 't' without distinction in manuscripts and edited texts?
- Will using them as they appear in different texts lead to repetition and meaningless confusion?
- Does the usage of 't' relate to the antiquity of the language? Should the old practice be continued, or is it Sanskrit influence?
- Is there a method like adding a dot below or above 'y' as with 'a'?
Consonant Clusters: Should consonant clusters at the beginning of words, derived from compound words, be retained as they are, as done in some dictionaries?
Short 'e' and 'o': What general rule can be formulated for the use of short 'e' and 'o'?
'h' Pronunciation: How to differentiate between 'h' derived from original Sanskrit 'h', 'ī' before a conjunct consonant, and short 'e' written as short 'h'? Should etymology be used for clarification? The same applies to 'u' and 'o'.
Distinguishing 'e' and 'o': When a general rule applies, is it necessary to distinguish between short and long 'e' and 'o' before conjunct consonants?
Final Nasalization: Is it necessary to distinguish between final nasalization, subsequent nasals, and double nasals like 'nn', 'ṇa', 'mm'? Would using double nasals derived from Sanskrit conjunct consonants be preferred over simple nasalization? Many editors prefer 'mmi' for the seventh singular suffix.
Devanagari Script Usage: Apart from the visarga, the general script of Prakrit resembles Sanskrit. Should this be followed, or are there more suitable improvements?
Nasalization and Anusvara: Will the use of 'anusvara' ( ं ) be used for both nasalization and anunasika (nasalization of vowels)? Or will 'anusvara' be preferred for certain consonants and "parasavarna" before punctuation?
Placement of Anusvara: Should the anusvara be placed immediately after the base word form, regardless of its origin, or after the word?
'L' for 'ḷ': In the alphabetical order, should Sanskrit 'ḷ' (ळ) be treated as 'l' (ल)?

6. Alphabetical Order and Dictionaries:

Alphabetical Order: Since most entries will have Sanskrit equivalents, it would be best to maintain the Sanskrit alphabetical order as much as possible, with some necessary modifications.
Entry Structure: What format should be followed for compound words? Should a hyphen (troṭak reṣhā) be used in Devanagari to indicate compounding? How to use it if a hyphen is employed?
Word Entries: How to handle words with multiple meanings? Should they be categorized with numbered or lettered sub-sections?
Examples: Should examples be ordered historically within the smallest subgroups? Would it be preferable to provide meanings with examples at a higher level, even if it poses difficulties for users?
Explanation Support: To what extent should explanations be supported by evidence?
Alternative Meanings: Are meanings other than the accepted ones necessary? How to present linguistic explanations in parentheses and other references in round brackets?

7. Dialects and Language Groups:

Dialect Identification: How should dialects be indicated? Should the names of sub-dialects be mentioned, similar to the Eastern branch of Prakrit grammarians? What about the so-called sub-dialects of Apabhramsha?
Cross-Language Similarities: Should similarities or differences in word forms from other languages be noted independently for each language?
Collecting Dialectal Forms: If words are similar, should the dialects be grouped together? If "maya", "maga", "mada" are given separately, what about "ma'a", "saya", "mau"? If included separately, examples and meanings would also need to be repeated.

8. Texts and Authors:

Essential Texts: Please suggest texts that are not listed but whose examples are essential for the dictionary.
Text Names: Is it necessary to create Prakrit names for Prakrit works that lack established Prakrit titles, or should their Sanskrit titles be given with a note indicating their Prakrit origin?
Prakrit vs. Sanskrit Titles: Should both Sanskrit and Prakrit titles be given? If not, which ones should be used?
Title Convention: What is the opinion on the following plan for text titles:
- Only Prakrit names for Āgama texts.
- All Prakrit compositions, commentaries (chūṇi), and linguistic works by their Prakrit names.
- Sanskrit names for all other works (with a note indicating their Prakrit origin).
Drama Titles: Titles of dramas and their acts will be given in Sanskrit, with only a note indicating they are dramas.
Modern Names: What about works whose modern names are given? E.g., Malā-ratnāvalī's vernacular name "Mālā," Jina-dhamma-prabodha by the author Kumarapāla-prabodha.
Popular Names: Even if the author's preference differs, the more popular name should be accepted (e.g., Setubandha instead of Daśamukhavadha or Rāvaṇavadha, Bhagavatī instead of Vyākhyā).
Āgama Text Referencing: Āgama texts are divided in various ways, and the sequence of sūtras can differ, making it difficult to find citations from one recension to another. Commentaries also lack references. Therefore, the division guided by the authors would be convenient, along with citations accordingly, provided they are not more than three or four places. In many instances, a combination of both types will be appropriate, with one being placed in parentheses. Two-digit references will be in Arabic numerals, three-digit in Roman, and four-digit in capital Roman numerals.

9. Corrections:

Existing Errors: Should inaccuracies or incorrect meanings in previously compiled dictionaries be brought to attention?
Correction of Citations: There will be numerous instances of citation errors. Should these be directly corrected or simply indicated?
Unverified Words/Meanings: If a word or meaning from previously compiled dictionaries cannot be verified, should it be ignored or included with a question mark in a square bracket?

The questionnaire concludes by inviting additional suggestions that could make the dictionary more comprehensive and useful, even if not covered in the provided questions. This highlights the meticulous and collaborative approach intended for the creation of this significant Prakrit lexicon.