Essay name: Mahapurana of Puspadanta (critical study)
Author:
Ratna Nagesha Shriyan
Affiliation: University of Bombay / Department of Sanskrit and Prakrit
This essay in English studies the Mahapurana by Puspadanta highlighting the Desya and rare words from this and other Apabhramsa works. Understanding Desi or Deshya words is essential for comprehending Prakrit and Apabhramsa literature. This study focuses on a systematic examination of Desya or Deshi vocabulary, particularly through the works鈥擬ahapurana and Nayakumaracariu.
Page 30 of: Mahapurana of Puspadanta (critical study)
30 (of 358)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
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C 1 NATURE OF DESVA ELEMENT
19 "Tell me a divine-human story pleasing to young ladies in Prakrit
language marked very sparsely with Desi words'.
The author is requested by his beloved to make just a scanty use
of the popular and local speech-elements, 1. e. dest or desya words.
(iv) From Paumacariu of Svayambhu (850-900 A. D.)
vaddham膩na-muha-kuhara-v谋n谋ggaya r膩makah膩-nai eha kam膩gaya || 1.2.1 ||
akkharav膩sa-jaloha-manohara su-ala峁僰膩ra-chanda-macchohara || 1,2,2 ||
d墨ha-sam膩sa-pav膩魔avamk谋ya sakkaya-payaya-pul谋n膩lamk谋ya || 1,23_||
desibh膩s膩-ubhaya.tadujjala ka vi dukkara-ghana sadda-sil膩yala || 1.2.4 ||
'The story of R膩ma is river originated from the mountain-cavity in
the form of the mouth of Vardham膩na, a beautiful mass of water in
the form of a multitude of letters, with fish and other aquatic animals
in the form of beautiful figures and metres, marked with a flow in the
form of long compounds, decorated with sand-banks in the form of
Sanskrit and Prakrit and beautiful with two shores in the form of Dest
dialect having here and there hard rocks in the form of ponderous
words'.
(v) From Mah膩pur膩峁嘺 of Puspadanta (965 A. D.)
(a) nau hau hom嫂 viyahkha峁噓 峁嘺 mu峁嘺m谋 lakkhanu chandu desi 峁嘺
viyanami 1,89 ||
'I am not learned, I do not know grammar, metre and the Dest.'
(b) nau munami
nau desi lesu / 81,2,1 |
'I don't know......elementary knowledge of Desi words or lexicons'.
(vi) From P膩san膩hacariu of Padmadeva (1000 A. D.)鹿
(In the beginning of the work)
v膩yaranu desi-saddatha-g膩dha chamd膩lamk膩ravis膩la podha |
sasamaya-parasamaya-v谋y膩rasah谋ya avasaddav膩ya d眉rena rahiya ||
jar evamar-bahulakkhanehi tha viraiya kavva viyakkha峁噀hi |
t膩 iyarakaiyanasamkieh鈧� payadivvau kim appau 峁嘺 tehi ||
'Because other learned poets have composed poems with characteris-
tics like grammar, Desi words full of meaning and lofty with abundant
figures and metres and capable of reflection about one's own faith and
heretical faiths and scrupulously avoiding solecisms, should no one exp
ress oneself being scared by such poets ?'
(vil) From Sarasvat谋-kanthabharana of Bhoja (1030-1050 A. D)
tadde艣yam 谋t谋 n谋rd谋峁ａ弓am yad avyut patt谋matpadam / 1.14a) ||
测补迟丑腻鈥�
gallau l盲vanyattallau te ladahau madahau bhujau |
netre vosa峁弓a-kamdo峁弓a-mo峁弓膩y谋ta-sakhe-sakhi || 1.15 ||
1. As qouted by Jain in the Introduction to P膩hu岣峚doh膩, p. 44,
