Prakrut Vyakarano - Book Summary

Here's a comprehensive summary of the provided Jain text about K.R. Chandra's contributions to Prakrit grammar:

The text discusses the significant contributions of Pundit K.R. Chandra to the field of Prakrit grammar. It highlights his dedication to learning, teaching, and research throughout his life, emphasizing his profound knowledge of Jainism and its scriptures. The summary focuses on his three major works in Prakrit grammar published between 1911 and 1978.

1. Prakrit Margopadesika (1911):

Objective: To make the study of Prakrit accessible to modern students using contemporary methods.
Uniqueness: This was the first book of its kind in any modern Indian language written without relying on Sanskrit sutras, explaining Prakrit grammar independently.
Content: It included separate Prakrit and Gujarati passages for translation, test questions, vocabulary lists with Gujarati meanings, and at the end, an alphabetical list of approximately 2000 words with Gujarati meanings.
Impact: The book proved highly useful, with five Gujarati editions and one Hindi edition published. The later editions expanded significantly, incorporating Sanskrit equivalents and comparative discussions with Sanskrit and other modern languages in annotations. The introduction to the fourth edition also included a comparative analysis of Prakrit with Ardhamagadhi, vernacular languages, scholarly languages, regional dialects, and Avestan.
Accessibility: While Sanskrit scholars could study Prakrit through Hemachandra's original grammar, "Prakrit Margopadesika" enabled those unfamiliar with Sanskrit to fully learn Prakrit.
Legacy: Despite numerous other Prakrit grammars published since, the unique features of Chandra's work remain unparalleled and it continues to hold a supreme position.

2. Prakrit Vyakarana (1925):

Context: Published 14 years after "Prakrit Margopadesika," this work emerged during India's independence movement as part of a cultural initiative by Gujarat Vidyapith to bring Sanskrit, Pali, and Prakrit literature to light. Pundit Chandra's studies in Pali language and literature in Lanka influenced this work.
Target Audience: While "Prakrit Margopadesika" was for students, "Prakrit Vyakarana" was intended for students, professors, and researchers.
Content: It offered a comparative study of all Prakrit languages, along with Pali and Apabhramsha. Though written in Gujarati, it used the Devanagari script for broader accessibility.
Key Features:
- The introductory 50 pages compared Prakrit forms with Vedic and Pali forms.
- It clarified that certain phonetic changes were inherent, not just phonetic substitutions, suggesting origins from existing forms rather than arbitrary commands.
- A detailed discussion on whether Ardhamagadhi should be considered a separate language or simply Prakrit was presented with examples from Ashoka's inscriptions, Pali, and ancient Jain and non-Jain Prakrit texts. This led to the correction of the term "Ardhamagadhi" to "Prakrit" in later editions of "Prakrit Margopadesika."
Methodology: It was based on Hemachandra's Prakrit grammar but rearranged the topics for a comparative study of all Prakrit languages rather than presenting individual grammars. Phonetic changes were organized alphabetically. Forms were discussed under general and special, regular and irregular headings. Exceptions were explained with examples from ancient texts and compared with Vedic forms.
Significance: This was the first comparative Prakrit grammar written in a modern Indian language. While Pischel's grammar (published earlier in German) was more of a reference work, Chandra's grammar was more student-friendly and included Pali and Apabhramsha, which Pischel's grammar did not extensively cover. Despite later works by Sukumar Sen and D.C. Sarkar in English and Hindi, Chandra's work holds the primary position in comparative Prakrit grammar.

3. Hemachandra Virachita Siddh-Hem Shabdānushāsan Laghuvrutti Adhyāy-8 (1978):

Context: This work is an edition of the eighth chapter of Hemachandra's Prakrit grammar. The text first reviews previous scholars who worked on Hemachandra's grammar, mentioning their editions and commentaries. It also highlights scholars who focused specifically on the Apabhramsha section.
Pundit Chandra's Edition: This edition was commissioned by the University Granth Nirman Board, indicating its high academic standard.
Key Features of Pundit Chandra's Edition:
- (1) Sandhi Separation: Chandra was the first to break down sandhi-joined sutras into their constituent parts for easier understanding. Examples are provided.
- (2) Gujarati Translation: While not providing the original commentary (vritti), Chandra provided Gujarati translations for the original sutras and the example verses. For instances where Sanskrit equivalents were missing in the original text, he provided them along with Gujarati translations, making the text more accessible to contemporary students.
- (3) Sanskrit Comparisons: He provided Sanskrit equivalents for certain Prakrit words where the original text lacked them, offering clearer explanations of Prakrit forms. For example, he provided Sanskrit forms for "iḍaṁ" and "iha" (related to "ṛdhak" and "ṛdhakphala"), noting that the usage of these Sanskrit words was limited to Vedic literature, suggesting that Prakrit may not have directly evolved from classical Sanskrit.
- (4) Explanations and Critiques: Where necessary, Chandra offered explanations and critiques of the example words in the original sutras. For instance, regarding the change of "kṣuṣ" to "hu" in a sutra, he noted a direct derivation from "kṣudhā." He also clarified the existence of "kumaṛa" in "Shabdākar" related to the sutra about "kumāra" and "kumāre."
- (5) Completion of Omissions: He filled in missing elements in the original commentary, such as the "uāṇu" suffix for past participles, which was present in examples but omitted in the sutra's explanation.
- (6) Textual Corrections: Chandra suggested corrections to the text. For the root "bhū," he argued for "bhu" as the correct Prakrit form over variants, aligning with phonetic rules regarding vowel shortening and consonant doubling.
- (7) Alternate Readings: He proposed alternative readings for certain words, such as "dhuḍa" being possibly related to "dhāndhal" (commotion).
- (8) Derivation of Forms: He explained that certain forms presented as substitutions were actually derived forms according to phonetic rules. He traced the origins of "vajra" and "pajja" to "vicar" and "prāchar" respectively, and "saṁgha" from "saṁkhyā," and "chava" from "vacha." He also explained the origin of "guṇa" from "dhūṇa" used for "jugupsā" and proposed deriving "pijja" from "pīyate" rather than accepting it as a direct substitution for "piba."
- (9) Apabhramsha Word Origins: He indicated the likely origins of Apabhramsha words like "jhalakuka" from "jvalita-ka" and "abhaḍava" from "abhyaṭa-vraj."
- (10) Development of Modern Words: He explained the evolution of certain modern Gujarati words like "khāṁgu" from "khaḍga," "biṭṭī/beṭṭī" from "putrī," and "bāgaḍor" from "varga" and "dora."
- (11) Linguistic Connections: He showed the development of Marathi, Marwari, Punjabi, Bengali, and Hindi words from Sanskrit roots, linking them to Prakrit forms.
- (12) Comparison with Bhayani: He noted that Pundit Chandra did not incorporate all of H.C. Bhayani's findings on Apabhramsha grammar into his work and sometimes differed on readings or etymologies.
- (13) Missing Indices: The absence of indices for sutras, verses, and words at the end of the book was noted as a significant omission that would have enhanced its utility for researchers and students.

In conclusion, the text portrays Pundit K.R. Chandra as a pivotal figure in Prakrit studies, an "epoch-maker," whose contributions to Prakrit grammar are timeless. However, it also points out some minor shortcomings in the printing and proofreading of his final work, acknowledging that even the errata list had its own errors.