हेमचन्द्र-अपभ्रन्श-व्याकरण सूत्र-विवेचन
By डॉ. कमलचन्दं सोगाणी
Summary
Based on the provided text, this document is a grammatical analysis of Hemachandra's Apabhramsha grammar. The author, Dr. Kamalchand Sogani, explains that while Hemachandra wrote the grammar in Sanskrit, a deep knowledge of Sanskrit is not required to understand it; a basic understanding of Sanskrit or any other language's grammar is sufficient. The text details the process of analyzing the grammatical sutras, which involves sandhi-viccheda (splitting compounds), identifying case endings, providing word meanings, explaining the full context of the sutras, and giving examples. The document focuses on sutras related to nouns, from which thirteen types of noun forms can be derived, including masculine, feminine, and neuter genders. It explains that Apabhramsha has only two numbers: singular and plural. The author uses mathematical symbols to denote cases, such as 1/1 for the first case singular. The text then provides a detailed breakdown of specific sutras (numbered 4/332 to 4/343), explaining how they apply to various noun stems, such as those ending in 'a', 'i', and 'u'. For each sutra, the original Sanskrit rule is given, followed by its explanation in Hindi, and then examples of its application in forming noun cases like the nominative, accusative, instrumental, and locative. The document includes declension tables for example words like 'deva' (god), 'kamala' (lotus), 'hari' (Vishnu), and 'gopā' (cowherd) to illustrate the resulting forms.
Conclusion
This analysis demonstrates that Hemachandra's Apabhramsha grammar, though written in Sanskrit, is accessible with only basic Sanskrit knowledge and general grammatical awareness. The systematic presentation of thirteen noun types across three genders and two numbers, using mathematical symbols and clear declension tables, provides a practical framework for understanding Apabhramsha morphology. The detailed treatment of case endings, particularly the variations in the genitive plural and locative singular for vowel-ending stems, reveals the language's structural complexity. This grammatical exposition not only preserves the linguistic heritage of Apabhramsha but also serves as a valuable pedagogical tool, enabling scholars to systematically comprehend and reconstruct the language's inflectional patterns. The integration of traditional Sanskrit grammatical categories with Apabhramsha's distinct features creates a bridge between classical and vernacular linguistic traditions.