Prakrit classical language
Topic: Buddhism, Jainism and Heterodox Traditions · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The Prakrits are a group of spoken languages that grew out of Old Indo-Aryan, the family of Vedic Sanskrit. They were the everyday speech of ancient north India. Many early inscriptions and religious texts were written in Prakrit, so it is a key source for ancient Indian history. In October 2024, the Government of India gave Prakrit the status of a classical language, together with Pali, Marathi, Assamese and Bengali.
Example
Asoka's edicts in the third century BCE were mostly written in Prakrit, so that ordinary people could understand them. Jaina scriptures such as the Uttarādhyayana Sutta are in Ardhamāgadhī Prakrit. Jaina scholars also wrote in Sanskrit and Tamil.
Don't confuse with
- Pali: Pali is a related Middle Indo-Aryan language and the language of the oldest Buddhist texts (the Tipitaka). It got classical status at the same time, but it is a separate language.
- Sanskrit: Sanskrit was the learned language of priests and of later Buddhist works. Prakrits were the languages people spoke every day.
Related concepts
- Jainism
- Tirthankara
- Rishabhanatha
- Parshvanatha
- Mahavira
- Kevala jnana
- Ahimsa
- Karma
- Five vows of Jainism
- Aparigraha