A History of Sanskrit Literature c7.s3.23

c7.s3.23

Existing as it did side by side with Prākrit dialects, it was inevitable that there should be frequent borrowings on either side,¹ despite the objections raised from time to time by grammarians and sticklers for purity in the use of the sacred language in sacrificial matters.² Thus, though Classical Sanskrit lost many of the words and roots recorded in the *Gaṇapāṭha* and the *Dhātupāṭha* associated with Pāṇini's grammar, it was enriched by numerous additions, some easy, others difficult, of detection. In many cases the Prākrit forms were taken over with only the necessary changes requisite to make them seem to have terminations allowed in Sanskrit. It appears as if even Pāṇini³ recognized this practice, since he allows eastern place-names to pass as correct though having the Prākrit *e* and *o* for the regular *ai* and *au* which his rules require. In other cases the retention of the Prākrit form was aided by the possibility of regarding the form as genuine Sanskrit; thus the poetic technical term *vicchitti*, really from *vikṣipti*,⁴ in all likelihood seemed to be derivable from *vi-chid*; Kṛṣṇa's epithet Govinda, perhaps Prākrit for *gopendra*, was felt as *go-vinda*, winner of cows; in late texts *bhadanta*, from the phrase of greeting *bhadraṁ te*, is defended as from *bhad* with the suffix *anta*, and *uttṝ* is not recognized as from *avatṝ* through Prākrit *otarati*; *duruttara*, hard to overcome, really from Prākrit *duttara* for *duṣṭara*, was felt as *dur-uttara*. In many cases, doubtless, Prākrit words were correctly rendered into good Sanskrit equivalents, in which case borrowing cannot now be established. In others, however, the process is betrayed by false forms; thus Prākrit *mārisa*, friend, where *s* stands for *ś*, was mechanically made into *māriṣa*; *guccha*, for the lost *gṛpsa*, became *gutsa*, cluster; *masiṇa*, Sanskrit *mṛtsna*, reappeared as *masṛṇa*, soft; *rukkha*,⁵ for *rukṣa* or rather *vṛkṣa*, *rūkṣa*, tree; and *heṭṭhā*, from *adhastāt*, gave by reconstruction *heṣṭa*. A common formation in Jain texts is *vidhyai*, go out, which is based on Prākrit *vijjhai*, from Sanskrit *vikṣai*; similarly *vikurv*, produce by magic, is traced through *viuvvai*, *viuvvae* to *vikṛ*. Later there are borrowings from vernaculars such as Gujarātī or Marāṭhī or Hindi.¹ Often, of course, the Sanskrit version has been ingeniously made to appear valid in itself, as when *pabbhāra* is metamorphosed into *prāgbhāra*, though *prahvāra* is its origin.