Editing Prakrit (section)

== Grammar ==

Medieval grammarians such as Markandeya (late 16th century) describe a highly systematized Prakrit grammar, but the surviving Prakrit texts do not adhere to this grammar.{{sfn|Andrew Ollett|2017|p=18}} For example, according to [Vishvanatha (14th century), in a Sanskrit drama, the characters should speak Maharashtri Prakrit in verse and Shauraseni Prakrit in prose. But the 10th century Sanskrit dramatist [[Rajashekhara (Sanskrit poet)|Rajashekhara]] does not abide by this rule. Markandeya, as well as later scholars such as Sten Konow, find faults with the Prakrit portions of Rajashekhara's writings, but it is not clear if the rule enunciated by Vishvanatha existed during Rajashekhara's time. Rajashekhara himself imagines Prakrit as a single language or a single kind of language, alongside Sanskrit, Apabhramsha, and [[Paishachi]].{{sfn|Andrew Ollett|2017|p=19}}

German Indologist Theodor Bloch (1894) dismissed the medieval Prakrit grammarians as unreliable, arguing that they were not qualified to describe the language of the texts composed centuries before them.{{sfn|Andrew Ollett|2017|p=18}} Other scholars such as [[Sten Konow]], [[Richard Pischel]] and [[Alfred Hillebrandt]] disagree with Bloch.{{sfn|Andrew Ollett|2017|pp=18–19}} It is possible that the grammarians sought to codify only the language of the earliest classics of the Prakrit literature, such as the ''Gaha Sattasai''.{{sfn|Andrew Ollett|2017|p=19}} Another explanation is that the extant Prakrit manuscripts contain scribal errors. Most of the surviving Prakrit manuscripts were produced in a variety of regional scripts during 1300–1800 CE. It appears that the scribes who made these copies from the earlier manuscripts did not have a good command of the original language of the texts, as several of the extant Prakrit texts contain inaccuracies or are incomprehensible.{{sfn|Andrew Ollett|2017|p=18}}

Also, like Sanskrit and other ancient languages Prakrit was spoken and written long before grammars were written for it. The Vedas do not follow Panini's Sanskrit grammar which is now the basis for all Sanskrit grammar. Similarly, the Agamas, and texts like [[Shatkhandagama]], do not follow the modern Prakrit grammar.{{sfn|Muni Pranamyasagar|2017|p={{pn|date=November 2021}}}}

Prakrita Prakasha, a book attributed to [[Vararuchi]], summarizes various Prakrit languages.<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/PrakritaPrakashaOfVararuchiDr.P.L.Vaidya_201806|title=Prakrita Prakasha of Vararuchi Dr. P. L. Vaidya|last=Dr. Narinder Sharma|language=sa}}</ref>

Following are the prominent works on Prākṛta grammar available today:<ref>{{Cite book |last=D.G. Sircar |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.405679/page/n15/mode/2up?view=theater |title=A Grammar Of The Prakrit Language |date=1943 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass}}</ref>

* Prākṛta-Lakṣaṇam by Caṇḍa (post 3rd century B. C. E.)<ref>{{Cite book |last=Hoernle |first=A. f Rudolf |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.104147/page/n27/mode/2up?view=theater |title=Prakrita-lakshanam Or Chandas Grammar Of The Ancient  (arsha) Prakrit |date=1880}}</ref>
* Prākṛta Prakāśa by Vararuci (3rd or 4th century C. E.)
* Prākṛta Vyākaraṇa (being 8th chapter of ''Siddhahemaśabdānuśāsana'') by [[Hemachandra]]
* Prākṛta Adhyāya by Kramadīśvara 
* Ṣaḍbhāṣācandrikā by Lakṣmīdhara (16th century C. E.)
* Prākṛta Kāmadhenu by Laṅkeśvara
* Prākṛta Saṃjīvanī by Vatsarāja
* Prākṛtānuśāsana by Puruṣottama
* Prākṛta Kalpataru by Rāmaśarma
* Prākṛta Sarvasva by Mārkaṇḍeya (17th century C. E.)