INTRODUCTION I (b) Prir | The second stage of development of the secondary Prakt is what is known as the Prawt pa excellence. This was the language adopted for the propagation of Jainism and fox writing the sacred books of the followers of Bardhamana Jnataputra, (Mahabir) the founder of that faith, till 1000 or 1100 A.D. After that time Sanskrit was adopted for that purpose. A collection of Jaina sacred texts compiled by Hala between third and seventh centuries A.D. testifies to the existence of a rich Prakrt literature. The Prakrt dialects also occupied a literary position in the Sanskrit plays where female characters, both high and low, as also domestic servants and persons in inferior position, are introduced as speaking Pract, instead of Sanskrit employed by Kings, noblemen and priests. | Vararugi (1st Century B.c.), the oldest Prakrt Grammarian, in his Prakrt Prakasa mentions four varieties of Prakrt, viz.--the real Prakrt, Sauraseni, Magadhi and Paisaci. Another Prakrt Grammarian of a later date, Hemcandra, in his Siddha Hemgandra Adhyaya VII, enumerates six varieties of Prakrts, viz.Prakrt proper, Sauraseni, Magadhi, Paisagi, culika-Paisaci and Apabhramsa. Pandit Mukunda Sarma, in his intro- duction to Prakrt Manjari of Katyayana, also follows the division of Hemgandra'. He names the language of Maharastra Maharastri, that of Surasena Sauraseni, of Magadha Magadhi, of demons Paisagi and that of the barbarians gulika-Prakrt. In the epic the language of Abhirs and such other people are called Apabhramsa. In the sacred books the language derived from Sanskrit is styled Apabhramsa. | Hemcandra defines Prakrt as of the nature of Sanskrit. It is the Prakrt par excellence. In one place Vararugi calls it Maharastri when after giving a few rules of Sauraseni he says-“the rest is like Maharastri'. But Hemcandra after giving a few special rules of Sauraseni says--“the after giving a few special rules of Sauraseni says-“the rest is like Prakrt”. On the other hand Vararuci speaks of Sauraseni as “of the nature of Sanskrit just as Hemcandra describes Prakrt as “of the nature of Sanskrit". The latter never uses the word Maharastri at all. It seems the two grammarians make little difference between Prakrt or Maharastri 1Sadvidha s Prakrti ca Sauraseni ca Magadhi। Paisagi Culikapaisagyapabhramsa iti Kramat । Tatra tu Pakrtam nama Maharastrodbhavam biduh। | Tathacoktam Dandina.. Maharastrasrayam bhasan prakritam prakrtim biduh। surasenodbhava bhasa Sauraseni it smrta | Magadhotpanna bhapa Magadhi (Parikirtia). “Prakrtih Sanskrtam,"-Hemcandra, 1.1. (note). 3 "Sesan Maharastrivat",---Vararuci, 12.32. “Sesar Prakrtavat",-Hemcandra, 4.286. 5 “Prakrtih Sanskrtam,"-Vararuqi, 12.2.
