I 



SHANSCRIT. 



of the lan^juage. This language, notwithftanding its ex- 

 tenfive ufe amonij fo many nations, and the degree of culti- 

 vation which it has received from the different tribes by 

 whom it is employed, has hitherto attrailcd little attention 

 amo:.£r Europeans. The Bali alphabet, according to Dr. 

 Leydee, feems, in its origin, to be a derivative from the 

 Deva-nagari, though it has not only acquired confiderable 

 difference of form, but has been alfo modified to a certain 

 degree, in the power of the letters, by the monofyllabic 

 pronunciation of the Indo-Chinefe nations. The form of 

 the Bali charadter varies ed'entially among the different na- 

 tions by whom it is ufed. 



The Bali is an ancient dialeft of Shanfcrit, which fome- 

 times approaches very near the original. When allowance 

 is made for the regular interchange of certain letters, the 

 elifion of harlh confonants, and the contraftion of fimilar 

 fyilables, all the vocables which occur in its ancient books, 

 feem to be purely Shanfcrit. In Cheritas and later com- 

 pofitions, however, fome words of the popular languages 

 of the country fometimes infinuate themfelves, in the fame 

 manner as Tamul, Telinga, and Canara vocables occafionally 

 occur, in the later Shanfcrit compofitions of the Deichin. 

 The Bali, while it retains almoll the whole extent of 

 Shanfcrit flexions, both in nouns and verbs, neverthelefs 

 employs this variety rather fparingly in compofition, and 

 affefts the frequent introduttion of the preterite partici- 

 ple, and the ufe of imperfonal verbs. It alfo ufes the 

 cafes of nouns in a more indeterminate manner than the 

 Shanfcrit, and often confounds the aftive, neuter, and paf- 

 five tenfes of verbs. Like other derivative dialefts, it oc- 

 cafionally ufes Shanfcrit nouns and particles in an oblique 

 fenfe ; but notwithftanding all thcfe circumtlances, it ap- 

 proaches much nearer the pure Shanfcrit, than any other 

 dialetl;, and exhibits a clofe affinity to the Prakrit, and the 

 Zend. 



Thefe three dialefts, the Prakrit, the Bali, and the 

 Zend, aie probably the mod ancient derivatives from the 

 Shanfcrit. The great mafs of vocables in all the three, and 

 even the forms of flexion'^, both in verbs and nouns, are 

 derived from the Shanfcrit, according to regular laws of 

 clifi on, contraftion, and permutation of letters. Some- 

 times, in purfuing thefe anahigies, they nearly coincide, 

 fometimes they differ confidcrably, fometimes one, and 

 fometimes another of them approaches nearelt to the origi- 

 nal Shanfcrit. Their connexion with this parent language 

 was perceived, and pointed out by fir W. Jones, and has 

 alfo been alluded to by P. Paulinus, who derives his infor- 

 mation, concerning the Bali, from Carpanius and Mante- 

 gatius. Tlie fate of thefe three languages is alfo, in fome 

 degree, fimilar. The Prakrit is the language which con- 

 tains the greater part of the facrcd books of the .fainas ; 

 the Bali is equally revered among the followers of Budd'ha ; 

 while the Zend, or facred language of ancient Iran, has 

 long enjoyed a fimilar rank among the Parfis or worfhippers 

 of fire, and been the depofitary of the facred books of Zo- 

 roafter. It is perhaps, however, more accurate to confider 

 all the three, rather as different dialefts of the fanne deriva- 

 tive language, than as different languages ; and conformably 

 to this idea, the Bali itfelf may be reckoned a dialed of 

 Prakrit. The term Prakrit, both in books, and in common 

 ufe among the Bramins, is employed with fome degree of 

 latitude. Sometimes the term i? confined to a particular 

 dialctl employed by the .lainas, as the language of rchgion 

 and fcience, and appropriated to females, and reipeitable 

 charadfers of an inferior clafs, in dramas. Sometimes it 

 includes all the dialcds derived immediately from the Shan- 

 fcrit, whether denominated Prakrit, Magad'h', Surafeni, 



Paifachi, or Apabhranfa ; and fometimes it is even extend- 

 ed to the Defa-b'halhas, or popular tongues of India, as 

 Mahrafht or Mahratta, Canara, Telinga, Udia and Ben- 

 gali. According to the extended ufe of the term Prakrit, it 

 may certainly include both Bali and Zend ; and if more ex- 

 tenfive refearch (hould jultify the idea derived from an im- 

 perfect inveftigation. Dr. Leydcn apprehends that the Bali 

 may be identified with the Magad'hi, and the Zend with 

 the Surafeni, of Shanfcrit authors. 



Thefe three dialefts, the Prakrit, Bali, and Zend, 

 have been regularly cultivated and fixed by compofition. 

 The fame laws of derivation are applicable to the forma- 

 tion of all the three; but yet there is often confiderable 

 diverfity in the forms which particular words affume, as 

 appears from the comparative fpecimen given by Dr. 

 Leyden. 



The learned Mr. Colebrodke has publifhed in the loth 

 volume of the Afiatic Refeaiches, an elaborate elfay on 

 Shanfcrit and Prakrit poetry. He obferves, that the profody 

 of Shanfcrit will be found, from the examples which he has 

 adduced, to be richer than that of any other known language, 

 in variations of metre, regulated either by quantity or by 

 number of fyllables, both with and without rhyme, and 

 fubjeft to laws impofing in fome inftances rigid reftriftions, 

 in others allowing ample latitude. The rules relative to 

 Prakrit profody, are applicable, for the moft part, to Shan- 

 fcrit profody alfo ; fince the laws of verfification in both 

 languages are nearly the fame. 



Shanfcrit profody admits of two forts of metre ; one 

 governed by the number of fyllables ; and which is moitly 

 uniform or monofchematic in profane poetry, but altogether 

 arbitrary in various metrical paffages of the Vedas. The 

 other is in fail meafured by feet, like the hexameters of 

 the Greek and Latin : but only one fort of this metre, 

 which is denominated Arya, is acknowledged to be fo regu- 

 lated ; while another fort is governed by the number of fyl- 

 labic initants or malras. 



The moft com.mon Shanfcrit metre is the ftanza of four 

 verfes, containing eight fyllables each ; and denominated 

 from the name of the clafs " Anufluubh," for an account of 

 which, and of other kinds of metres, we refer ubi fupra. 



The Shanfcrit writers notice different fpecies of profe. 

 They difcriminate three and even four forts, under diibinft 

 names, i. Simple profe, admitting no compound terms. 

 It IS denominated " Muftaca." This is little ulcd in pohflied 

 compofitions ; unlefs in the familiar dialogue of dramas. 

 It mull undoubtedly have been the colloquial ftyle, at the 

 period when Shanlcrit was a fpoken language. 2. Profe, 

 111 which compound terms are fparingly admitted. It is 

 called " Culaca." This and the preceding fort are by fome 

 confidered as varieties of a fingle fpecies named Churnica. 

 It is of courfe a common llyle of compofition: and, when 

 polifhed, is the moft elegant a? it is the cliafteft. Cut it 

 does not command the admirmion of Hindoo readers. 

 3. Profe abounding in compound words. It bears the 

 appellation of " Utcalica praya." Examples of it exhibit 

 compounds of the molt inordinate length : and a fingle 

 word exceeding- a hundred fyllables is not unprecedented. 

 This extravagant (lile of compofition, being luitable to 

 the taile of the Indian learned, is common in the moft ela- 

 borate works of their favourite authors. 4. Profe modu- 

 lated fo as frequently to exhibit portions of verfe. It is 

 named " Vrittagand'lii." It will occur without lludy, and 

 even againft delign, in elevated compofitions ; and may be 

 expected in the works of the bell writers. 



Some ef the moft elegant and highly wrought works in 

 profe are reckoned among poems, as already intimated, in 



like 



