Table Of Content

O L L E T T | L A N G U A G LaNguage E O F T H E of the S N A K E S SNakes Luminos is the Open Access monograph publishing program from UC Press. Luminos provides a framework for preserving and reinvigorating monograph publishing for the future and increases the reach and visibility of important scholarly work. Titles published in the UC Press Luminos model are published with the same high standards for selection, peer review, production, and marketing as those in our traditional program. www.luminosoa.org Language of the Snakes SOUTH ASIA ACROSS THE DISCIPLINES Edited by Muzaffar Alam, Robert Goldman, and Gauri Viswanathan Dipesh Chakrabarty, Sheldon Pollock, and Sanjay Subrahmanyam, Founding Editors Funded by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and jointly published by the University of California Press, the University of Chicago Press, and Columbia University Press For a list of books in the series, see page 309. Language of the Snakes Prakrit, Sanskrit, and the Language Order of Premodern India Andrew Ollett UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS University of California Press, one of the most distinguished university presses in the United States, enriches lives around the world by advanc- ing scholarship in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. Its activities are supported by the UC Press Foundation and by philanthropic contributions from individuals and institutions. For more information, visit www.ucpress.edu. University of California Press Oakland, California © 2017 by Andrew Ollett Suggested citation: Ollett, Andrew. Language of the Snakes: Prakrit, S anskrit, and the Language Order of Premodern India. Oakland: University of California Press, 2017. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/luminos.37 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND license. To view a copy of the license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Ollett, Andrew, 1986- author. Title: Language of the snakes : Prakrit, Sanskrit, and the language order of premodern India / Andrew Ollett. Description: Oakland, California : University of California Press, [2017] | Includes bibliographical references and index. | Identifiers: LCCN 2017018705 (print) | LCCN 2017019745 (ebook) | ISBN 9780520968813 (ebook) | ISBN 9780520296220 (pbk. : alk. paper) Subjects: LCSH: Prakrit literature—History and criticism. | Prakrit languages. | Sanskrit literature—History and criticism. | Language and culture—India. Classification: LCC PK4994 (ebook) | LCC PK4994 .O45 2017 (print) | DDC 891/.3-dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017018705 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 यस्या मे शयान्तिरयाद्याययामयाख्याययां यवनयायते | तस्यै सव्वस्वभूतयायया इदं सववं च सव्वदया ॥ contents List of Illustrations ix List of Tables x Acknowledgments xi 1. Prakrit in the Language Order of India 1 2. Inventing Prakrit: The Languages of Power 26 3. Inventing Prakrit: The Languages of Literature 50 4. The Forms of Prakrit Literature 85 5. Figuring Prakrit 111 6. Knowing Prakrit 141 7. Forgetting Prakrit 169 Appendix A 189 Appendix B 193 Appendix C 205 Notes 213 Bibliography 259 Index 297