Prakrit is a series of vernacular Middle Indo-Aryan languages that were spoken in the Indian subcontinent between the third and eighth centuries BCE. The name Prakrit mainly refers to the Middle Indo-Aryan linguistic period, ignoring older inscriptions and the later Pali. Prakrit means 'derived,' in contrast to Sanskrit, which means 'complete, perfected,' reflecting the fact that the Prakrit languages were historically regarded inferior to, and less prestigious than, Sanskrit. This article will explain to you about Prakrit which will be helpful in Ancient History preparation for the UPSC Civil service exam.

Origin of Prakrit

• Prakrits were regarded as people's regional spoken (informal) languages, but Sanskrit was regarded as the standardized (formal) language used for literary, official, and religious reasons across Indian kingdoms of the subcontinent.
• Prakrit literary registers were utilized concurrently (predominantly by Sramana traditions) with Classical Sanskrit of upper social levels.
• The term 'Prakrit' is derived from the word prakriti, which means 'nature' or 'origin'; thus, the meaning of prakrit can be understood in two ways,
  • as a group of languages that were natural, based on ordinary common speech, when compared to Sanskrit, the highly sophisticated language of the learned;
  • as a group of languages derived from Sanskrit, the source language.
• The name Prakrit is frequently used interchangeably to describe its different dialects and sub-dialects; these dialects were utilized for both spoken and written communications, depending on criteria like region, religious affiliation, motivation of the speakers/writers, and genre employed by them.
• This resulted in the creation of a universe of Prakrit languages.

Groups of Prakrit

• Modern academics have classified these languages into the following groups based on their general scope: religious Prakrits, literary Prakrits, theatrical Prakrits, Prakrits characterized by grammarians, extra-Indian Prakrits, inscriptional Prakrits, and popular Sanskrit.
• These categories are obviously not watertight because there is significant overlap in the functions of many Prakrit languages, many of which display several functions.
• For example, languages such as Maharashtri and Shauraseni can be placed in all four groups.

Prakrit Literature

• Inscriptions, administrative documents, religious beliefs, secular tales, dramas, and songs were all written in Prakrit.
• This resulted in the dissemination of a wide range of writings that, alongside Sanskrit literature, served as complementary sources of information in ancient and early medieval India.
• Some of the most well-known Prakrit literary sources are as follows:
  • Maharashtri
  • Shauraseni
  • Magadhi
  • Ardhamagadhi

Maharashtri

• Grammarians regarded Maharashtri as the de facto form of the Prakrit language, providing an exquisite exposition of its linguistic traits while specifying only a handful of rules for the other Prakrits.
• In fact, the Sanskrit rhetorician Dandin viewed it as the "Prakrit par excellence."
• As a result, it is not unexpected that Maharashtri became one of the primary media for the development of many genres of Prakrit literature.
• It was used, for example, in the fifth century AD to write the non-canonical writings of the Svetambara Jains, such as Paumacariya, a Jain reworking of Valmiki's Ramayana by poet Vimalasuri.
• Similarly, he was employed to create poetic works of high artistic value, such as Hala's Sattasai and Jayavallabha's Vajjalagga.
• Maharashtri was also used to perform epic poetry, such as Pravara Cena's Ravanavaho and Vakpatiraja's Gaudavaho.

Shauraseni

• Shauraseni takes its name from the ancient province of Shurasena, which encompasses the territory around modern-day Mathura.
• It originated in the same region as Classical Sanskrit, it exhibited obvious resemblance to the latter and was so eclipsed by it.
• Nonetheless, it became the primary language of the large canonical corpus of the Digambara Jains (one of the two major schools of Jainism, along with Shvetambara Jains), which included works ranging from Shatkhandagama to Kashayapahuda.
• It was one of the most sought after languages in Sanskrit theater, where it was frequently spoken by characters such as the jester, women, eunuchs, astrologers, and other regular people of lesser status, along with its two primary dialects, Pracya and Avanti.

Magadhi

• Magadhi was an eastern Prakrit language that took its name from the ancient province of Magadha, which included modern-day Bihar.
• Grammarians mention several dialects, the most important of which are Shakari, Shabari, Chandali, and Dhakki.
• Its use, however, has been limited to Sanskrit dramas in which it is spoken by characters from the lowest stratum of society, with the most significant evidence found in Kalidasa's Abhijnanashakuntala and Shudraka's Mrchhakatika.

Ardhamagadhi

• There is no agreement on the etymology of the word Ardhamagadhi; scholars believe that the language shared half of the features of Magadhi (the word ardha means half in Sanskrit) or that it was used in half of Magadha's provinces.
• Either way, Ardhamagadhi was the language of the Svetambara Jains' canonical literature.
• According to popular belief, the founder of Jainism, Mahavira, is said to have preached his sermons in Ardhamagadhi, which led to it being considered (along with Vedic Sanskrit) the language of the gods.
• For this reason, several grammarians refrained from describing its characteristics and simply called it arsa (belonging to the rishis or mendicants) in their treatises.

Literary Works in Prakrit

• Setu-bandha - It was written between 700 and 800 BC by an unknown author. It's an epic poem based on the Ramayana about Rama and an army of monkeys building a bridge between the southern tip of India and Sri Lanka.
• Gauda-vaho - Vakapatiraja wrote it between 700 and 800 CE. Yashovarman, King of Kanauj, is depicted as conquering vast swaths of northern India.
• Gatha-sattasai - It was written between 700 and 900 CE by an unknown author. It is a collection of 700 one-stanza poems that are provocative and lyric, sexual and pastoral.
• Karpura-manjari - Rajasekhara wrote it between 900 and 1000 CE. It's a play written entirely in Prakrit, with one exception (dialogues in Sauraseni, poetic sections in Maharastri). Nonetheless, its reasoning is pretty standard.

Influence of Prakrit Language

• Prakrit languages are thought to have had a lower social position in ancient India than Sanskrit.
• Lead characters in Sanskrit stage plays, such as Kalidasa's Shakuntala, often speak Sanskrit, whereas insignificant characters and most female roles speak Prakrit.
• However, one must remember that many poets have a prejudice toward their favoured language.
• The language of the royal family cannot be referred to as the "language of greater rank."
• Various Prakrits were royal languages throughout the Mauryan Empire. Pali was the language of Emperor Ashoka, who was a Buddhist patron.
• While Prakrits were first seen to be 'inferior' kinds of language, their impact on Sanskrit - allowing it to be more easily employed by the ordinary people - as well as the inverse influence of Sanskrit on the Prakrits, provided Prakrits increasingly higher cultural cachet.
• Prakrit literature has gotten less attention from contemporary researchers than Sanskrit literature.
• Few contemporary Prakrit manuscripts have survived, and even fewer have been published or garnered critical attention.

Prakrit Language - Importance

• The study of Prakrit is critical on various levels. It is an essential link in the history of Indo-Aryan languages, and the different treatises published by Prakrit grammarians show the existence of a well-preserved grammatical and linguistic legacy in the Indian subcontinent.
• Furthermore, textual sources in Prakrit assist to highlight the region's lively literary culture, which generated a plethora of works in a variety of genres, including lyrical ballads, epic poetry, narrative literature, dramas, and doctrinal teachings.
• Prakrit works represented some of the earliest advancements in the philosophical thought of Indian faiths such as Jainism, Buddhism, and Hinduism, as well as secular administrative reports of monarchs and ministers.
• The aesthetics of Prakrit literature had a huge impact on Sanskrit works, and Prakrit textual evidence worked as extra sources of information for the reconstruction of Indian history by shedding light on the sociocultural factors in ancient and medieval Indian culture.

Apabhramsha

• Some grammarians believed Apabhramsha to be a dialect of Prakrit, and the language was utilized for religious reasons by both the Shvetambara and Digambara Jains.
• Works such as Harivamshapurana and Bhavisattakaha were classified as Digambara Shauraseni Apabhramsha literature, while Sanatkumaracarita and Kumarapalapratibodha were classified as Svetambara Maharashtri Apabhramsha literature.
• An eastern Apabhramsha variety was also found in the Buddhist text Dohakosha.
• Apabhramsha was not just used in religious texts.
• It was also used in Kalidasa's drama Vikramorvashiya, narrative literature such as Paumacariu by Svayambhudeva, and messenger poems such as Sandesharasaka by Abd-ur Rehman.

Conclusion

The Prakrits were a group of Middle Indo-Aryan languages that were spoken between 500 B.C. and 500 A.D. Prakrits were regarded as people's regional spoken (informal) languages, but Sanskrit was regarded as the standardized (formal) language used for literary, official, and religious reasons across Indian kingdoms of the subcontinent. Prakrit literary registers were utilized concurrently (predominantly by Sramana traditions) with Classical Sanskrit of upper social levels.