Wilson Philological Lectures on Sanskrit and the Derived Languages c8.s1.2

c8.s1.2

As mentioned before, we have the grammar of this dialect from Hemachandra, Trivikrama, and Kramadîśvara; but Vararuchi does not mention it. The Apabhramśa had a literature of its own. Hemachandra illustrates each of his rules about this dialect by quoting a verse. In the fourth Act of the Vikramorvaśî the Prâkrit speeches of the king in his madness are in this dialect. But it is a question whether they existed there originally, since in several manuscripts on this side of India they do not appear. The metres employed in these and in Hemachandra's quotations are the same as those popularly used in old and modern Hindî or Braj, viz., dohâ or chopai. Pandit Vrajalal mentions a work of the name of Muñjarâsa, written in the Apabhramśa, from which he gives a short extract, and another the hero of which is a king of the name of Prasenajita. He also quotes from another work; but the language of all these appears to be more modern than Hemachandra's Apabhramśa, and that of some of the verses makes a very near approach to the Gujarâtî. As before, I will introduce my remarks on this dialect by a specimen: —