A History of Sanskrit Literature c7.s5.16

c7.s5.16

From the nature of Apabhraṅça it follows naturally that in Old Gujarātī we find a considerable amount of resemblance in inflexion to Apabhraṅça, as was to be expected from the fact that the vernacular is a descendant in considerable measure of that vernacular which was applied to Prākrit to form the early Apabhraṅça. In other cases we could not expect to find any such important coincidences; thus in Bengal the Apabhraṅça used was not formed by applying vernacular inflexions to the local Prākrit; at most some local colour was given to a speech which came from the west, and the same remark clearly applies in other cases. Sir G. Grierson's efforts¹ to establish a Māhārāṣṭra Apabhraṅça as a connecting link between Prākrit and Marāṭhī are clearly unsuccessful. Nor indeed, it must be added, is there yet any adequate proof even of the relations suggested by him between the Prākrits and the vernaculars;² thus traces of Māgadhī in Bengālī are extremely difficult to establish with any cogency.³