Prakrit Tatha Ardhamagadhi Me Antar Aur Aikya

Here's a comprehensive summary of the provided Jain text, "Prakrit tatha Ardhamagadhi me Antar aur Aikya" by A.S. Fiske, focusing on its key arguments:

The text explores the relationship between Prakrit and Ardhamagadhi, two ancient languages of India, with a particular emphasis on their differences and similarities.

The Nature of Language and Prakrit:

• The author begins by defining language as a tool for exchanging thoughts and ideas through expressed sound signals.
• Languages have distinct places and forms.
• Fiske draws upon Dr. Grierson's classification of languages into historical and practical. Prakrit is identified as a historical language, belonging to the Indo-Aryan family.
• The origin of Prakrit is traced back to the spoken language of the second Aryan tribe that settled in India, which later developed into Vedic language. The spoken dialects of the Vedic period are considered Prakrit.
• Patanjali's Sanskrit is presented as a grammatically codified form of the Vedic language. Vedic and Prakrit are considered contemporary.
• Prakrit is described as having three stages of development: early spoken language, literary language, and later Apabhramsa and regional languages.

The Debate on Prakrit's Origin:

• A significant portion of the text addresses the scholarly debate on whether Prakrit originated from Sanskrit or vice versa.
• Sanskrit scholars (like Hemchandra, Markandeya, Lakshmidhar) generally posit that Prakrit is derived from Sanskrit, with Prakrit being the "product of" or "coming from" Sanskrit.
• In contrast, Prakrit proponents (like Namisadhu, Siddhasena Divakara, Vakpatiraja) argue that Prakrit is the original language from which Sanskrit and other languages evolved. They base this on the natural, unadulterated nature of Prakrit as the common people's mother tongue, and the fact that some Prakrit words and affixes cannot be traced back to Sanskrit. Vakpatiraja's analogy compares Prakrit to the ocean, from which all other languages emerge and to which they return.

Ardhamagadhi: Its Identity and Characteristics:

• Ardhamagadhi is identified as the language of the Agam scriptures and the language used for the teachings of Jainism. It was given a literary form by Ganadhar Sudharmaswami and is referred to as "Arsha Prakrit" or the "language of the gods."
• Several theories about the origin of Ardhamagadhi are presented:
  • It's a language that contains half of the Magadhi language.
  • According to Jindasagani Mahattar, it's the language spoken in the Ardhamagadha region.
  • It's called "Magadha-dwishaya-bhasha" (language of the Magadha region) by Pischel, who also calls it Arsha.
  • Namisadhu considers "Arsha" as the language of sages, gods, and perfected beings.
  • It's situated between Sauraseni in the west and Magadhi in the east.
• Phonologically, Ardhamagadhi appears later than Pali, but literarily, it is considered older than Pali.
• The geographical origin of Ardhamagadhi is believed to be the region between Magadha and Shurasena (Ayodhya). Grierson identifies it as the language of the central region and Ayodhya.
• Scholars place its origin from the 2nd century CE (Bhandarkar) to the 4th century BCE (Jacobi).
• Ardhamagadhi is stated to have evolved from Vedic-era Prakrit.

Key Linguistic Features of Ardhamagadhi:

The text details specific phonetic and grammatical features that distinguish Ardhamagadhi:

• Vowel and Consonant Changes:
  • Intervocalic un-conjoined 'k' often becomes 'g', and sometimes 't' and 'y' (e.g., ākāśa > ākāsa, loka > loya).
  • Intervocalic un-conjoined 'g' often remains or becomes 't' and 'y' (e.g., āgamana > āgamaṇa).
  • Initial, intervocalic, and conjunct consonants like 'k', 'g', 'c', 'j', 't', 'd', 'p', 'y', 'v' often disappear. When an 'a' precedes and follows a lost consonant, 'y' may be inserted (e.g., loka > lo'a, bhojin > bhoi).
  • 'n' is used similarly to 'ṇ' in initial, medial, and conjunct positions (e.g., nadī > naī).
  • The initial 'y' in words like 'yathā' and 'yāvat' can be lost or become 'j'.
• Nominal Inflections:
  • The nominative singular of a-ending masculine nouns uses 'e' or 'o' (e.g., deve, devo).
  • The locative singular uses the suffix 'aṁsi' (e.g., devasi, kammasi).
  • The dative singular uses the suffix 'āya' (e.g., savaṇāya, kaṇhāya).
• Verbal Forms:
  • The past tense singular uses 'itthā' and plural uses 'iṁsu' (e.g., karitthā, karisu).
  • Various forms of the 'tvā' suffix appear (e.g., kaṭu, caitta, jāṇitu).
  • The infinitive suffix 'tum' is replaced by 'ittae' (e.g., karittae).
  • The comparative suffix 'tar' becomes 'tarāya' (e.g., appatarāya).
• Other Features:
  • Numbers are used to avoid repetition (e.g., anna-4, khīradhāī-5).
  • Specific sentence constructions are noted (e.g., kālaṁ māse kālaṁ kiṭṭā).
  • The locative case is sometimes replaced by the instrumental case (e.g., tena kāleṇa tena samayeṇa).
  • Repetitive descriptions are abbreviated using terms like 'jāva... tāva' or 'vaṇṇao'.

Ardhamagadhi vs. Other Prakrits (especially Maharashtri):

• The text acknowledges that the term "Prakrit" is often used broadly to encompass Ardhamagadhi and other languages.
• While many grammarians gave prominence to Maharashtri, Fiske argues that Ardhamagadhi has a distinct form.
• Dr. Jacobi's assertion that there is no difference between Arsha and Ardhamagadhi is cited.
• Jain Sutras are in Ardhamagadhi, and later Jain texts can be called Jain Maharashtri due to Maharashtri influence.
• Pandit Bechardas's attempt to prove Ardhamagadhi as Maharashtri is deemed unsuccessful.
• The Ardhamagadhi of Jain scriptures is considered distinct from the Ardhamagadhi found in dramatic texts (like Bharata's Natyashastra) or general Prakrit grammars. The difference is more pronounced than similarity.
• Dr. Hahn Li considers Jain Ardhamagadhi as Arsha Prakrit and the origin of later languages. Hemchandra also saw Arsha Prakrit as the root of Maharashtri, seeing them as different stages of the same language.
• Key differences with Maharashtri are highlighted:
  • Maharashtri has the 'y' shruti rule, whereas Ardhamagadhi uses other consonants for related sounds.
  • Both exhibit consonant elision, but Maharashtri's elision is often for verse completion ('m' augment), while Ardhamagadhi shows it more broadly in prose.
  • Ardhamagadhi contains unique words not found in Maharashtri (e.g., bakka, viusa).
  • Many words have different forms in Ardhamagadhi and Maharashtri (e.g., āharaṇa - uāharaṇa, docca - duia).
  • Maharashtri uses '-mmhi' for the locative and '-eṇa' for the instrumental singular.
  • The past tense form has largely disappeared in Maharashtri.

Conclusion:

• The author reiterates that language is dynamic and Ardhamagadhi's form has evolved.
• The relationship between Prakrit (in a broader sense, including its various forms) and Ardhamagadhi is likened to that of a mother and daughter, with Vedic spoken language as the source of Ardhamagadhi.
• Ardhamagadhi is recognized as a language with its own unique characteristics.

In essence, the text argues for the distinct identity and historical significance of Ardhamagadhi, positioning it not merely as a dialect or a derivative of Sanskrit, but as a foundational language with a rich literary tradition, particularly within Jainism, and highlighting its unique linguistic features that set it apart from other Prakrit languages like Maharashtri.