Lucknow: Prakrit refers to a bunch of languages that belonged to different epochs in different regions of ancient India, as it represents the changing aspect of the spoken language. So they are studied in three main time periods
i) The Ancient Period 2500 BCE to 500 CE – The Prakrit language used in this period is mostly termed Pali, based on the literature available from these times, which are mostly Buddhist sources. Some of the key features are that the dual number (dvivacana) is left out, ṣa and śa sounds have mostly changed to sa, there is a lot of interchange of hrasva and dīrgha.In general, the inflection of Sanskrit word formation is much simplified.
ii) Prakrit of the Middle Period 500 to 1000 CE – The major important Prakrits are listed as seven: Magadhi, Avantija, Pracya, Sauraseni, Ardhamagadhi, Bahlik and Maharashtri. This is the Prakrit of literature, which developed well in the middle period; modern Hindi is said to have evolved from Sauraseni.
iii) The Modern Period – Apabhramshas. Slowly over time, the Prakrits gained the status of vernacular languages.
Some common features of these Prakrit forms are that the grammar became a lot simplified from the nuances of Sanskrit. The richness of inflectional forms was vastly reduced. śabdarūpas and dhāturūpas became much simplified and reduced in number. The dual number and ĀtmanePadī were elided. As inflectional forms were reduced, kārakacihnas came into use to convey meaning, as we are familiar in Hindi. The phoneticsvaried in the different regions according to local pronunciation and plenty of local vocabulary came into use.
Bharata’s Nāṭyaśāstra on PrakritsThe Nāṭyaśāstra is our earliest record of many issues in language, public presentation and the performing arts. In the drama section, we see that a lot of importance was given to both Sanskrit and Prakrit as that was the natural way of addressing the public on any stage. The Natyasastra states clear norms that the phonetic changes follow in Chapter 18. Basically, the changes are of three types :i) using the same words, ii) corrupted pronunciation and iii) the use of local vocabulary of the countryside.Sentences having words such as kamala, amala, renu, taranga, lola, salilaetc are rendered as they are in Prakrit. Those words which undergo phonetic changes according to the pronunciation tendencies of the local people, are known as vibhrashta.
एओआरपराणि अ अंआर परं अ पाअए णत्थि।
वसआरमज्झिमाइ अ कचवग्गतवग्गणिहणाइम्॥ ६ ॥
Sounds following ‘e’ and ‘o’ (i.e. ai and au) and the anusvara do not occur in Prakrit. And such is the case between va and sa (i.e. śa and ṣa) and the final sounds in the ka, ca and ta are groups (i.e. ńa, ña and na.)
ड इति भवति टकारो भटकटककुटीतटाद्येषु।
सत्त्वञ्च भवति शषयोः सर्वत्र यथा विसं संका॥ ११ ॥
ṭa becomes ḍa in words such as bhaṭa, kuṭi, and taṭa, and śa and ṣa always become sa as in visha becomes visa and śañkā becomes saṃkā.
परुषं फरुसं विद्यात् पकारवर्णोऽपि फत्वमुपयाति।
यस्तु मृगः सोऽपि मओ यस्तु मृतः सोऽपि तथैव॥ १२ ॥ 15
One is to understand paruṣa as pharusa, for pa becomes pha; and mŗga will be changed to mao while mŗta would also be mao.
ग्रीष्मो गिम्हो च तथा श्लक्ष्णं लण्हं सदा तु विज्ञेयम्।
कृष्णः कण्हो यक्षो जक्खो च पल्ङ्क पर्यङ्के॥ २१ ॥
Grishma becomes gimha, slakṣaņa becomes saņha, uṣņa becomes uņha, jakṣa becomes jakkha and paryańka becomes pallaṃka.
Sanskrit and Prakrit languages were clearly in vogue side by side; the latter was not one specific language but varied from district to district. As Prof George Cardona, renowned linguist and grammarian said, it is natural for language to vary every twenty miles. (We must of course remember to discount the influence of modern technology and mass communication today which were not available for the major part of human history.) Prakrit was simply the natural language that was spoken informally, without the refinement and polish that grammar displays.[Just for example, in English, “Is it not so?” can be spoken as, “Ain’ it?”] The word ‘samskrta’ means ‘purified’ and ‘well-ordered’; thus Sanskrit language was that which showed polish by rules of grammar and refined pronunciation. While the two developed in parallel paths, there was much that they shared in literary output.
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