Another Rare Specimen of Archaic Jain‑Māhārāṣṭrī – Taramgavai‑Kahā of Padalipta
By Harivallabh Chunilal Bhayani
Summary
In this linguistic study H. C. Bhayani examines the Taramgavai‑Kahā, a narrative attributed to the Jain author Padalipta and composed in an archaic form of Jain‑Māhārāṣṭrī. The article catalogues distinctive phonetic developments, such as the retention of old diphthongs and the disappearance of intervocalic stops, and notes morphological peculiarities including unusual case endings and verb forms. It also lists rare lexical items that have not survived in later literature, demonstrating the text’s antiquity. Bhayani compares these features with those of other Jain‑Māhārāṣṭrī works and suggests that the Taramgavai‑Kahā may preserve a dialect spoken in western India prior to the standardisation seen in canonical scriptures. He discusses the implications of these findings for the reconstruction of Middle Indo‑Aryan and highlights the value of such peripheral texts for historical linguistics. The article thus adds another piece to the puzzle of how regional dialects contributed to the evolution of Jain Prakrits.
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Conclusion
By analysing the Taramgavai‑Kahā’s unique linguistic features, the author shows how peripheral texts shed light on the diversity of Jain Prakrits. The study underscores the importance of preserving and examining lesser‑known manuscripts to gain a fuller picture of Indo‑Aryan language history and Jain literary heritage.