o f w h om a re su p p o sed to h av e flo u rish ed in th e c e n tu ry
p re c e d in g th e C h ris tia n e ra .” “ I t e v id e n tly deriv es it s
o rig in from a p rim e v a l to n g u e , w h ic h was g ra d u a lly re fin ed
in v a rio u s clim ates, a n d b ecam e S a n s k r it in In d ia , Pahluvi
in P e rs ia , a n d Greek on th e sh o res o f th e M e d ite rra n e a n .”
“ I t h a s n e a rly sh a re d th e fate o f a ll a n c ie n t to n g u e s, a n d is
now become alm o st a d e ad la n g u a g e ; b u t th e r e seems no
g o o d re a so n fo r d o u b tin g th a t it was once universally spoken
in In d ia . I ts n ame, a n d th e re p u te d difficu lty o f its g ram m
a r , h a v e le d m a n y p e rso n s to im a g in e th a t i t h a s b een
re fin e d b y th e c o n c e rte d efforts o f a few p rie sts , who se t
th em se lv e s a b o u t in v e n tin g a new la n g u a g e ; n o t lik e a ll
o th e r to n g u e s , b y th e g ra d u a lly im p ro v e d p ra c tic e o f g o o d
w rite rs a n d p o lite sp e a k e rs .” T h is n o tio n M r . C o leb ro o k e
shews to h av e a ris e n from m is ta k in g th e sy stem b y w h ic h
th e S a n s k r it g ram m a r is ta u g h t fo r th e re fin em en t o f th e
la n g u a g e itselfiàrt“ W h e n S a n s k r it w as th e l a n g u a g e - o f
In d ia n c o u rts i t was c u ltiv a te d b y a ll p e rso n s wh o rd ev o ted
th em se lv e s to th e lib e ra l a r ts ; in sh o rt, b y th e th r e e firs t
trib e s , a n d b y m a n y classes in c lu d e d in th e fo u rth .’-r-
I I . “ T h e second class o f In d ia n lan g u ag e s, com p reh en d s
th e w ritte n d ia le c ts w h ic h a re n ow u sed in th e in te rc o u rse
o f c iv il life , a n d w h ic h a re c u ltiv a te d by_ le tte re d
“ T h e re is re a so n to b eliev e th a t te n p o lish ed dialeefepfor-
m e r ly p re v a ile d in as m a n y d iffe ren t civ ilised n a tio n s, who
o ccu p ied a ll th e fe r tile p ro v in c e s o f H in d u sta n a n d th e
D e k h a n : ev id e n t tra c e s o f th em s till e x is t.” T h ey a re
th u s e n um e ra te d :—
1. “ T h e S â re sw a ta was a n a tio n w h ic h o ccu p ied th e
b a n k s o f th e riv e r S â ra sw a ti.” T h e ir o rig in a l la n g u a g e
m a y h a v e onee p re v a ile d th ro u g h th e so u th e rn a n d w e ste rn
p a rts o f H in d ü s ta n p ro p e r, a n d is p ro b a b ly th e id iom to
w h ic h th e n am e o f P r a k r i t is g e n e ra lly a p p ro p ria te d .
2 . T h e C an y a eu b ja s possessed a g re a t em p ire , th e m e tro p
o lis o f which was th e a n c ie n t c ity o f C a n y a c u b ja o r Ganouj.
“ T h e ir la n g u a g e , as i t a p p e a rs, was th e H in d i o r th e
H in d ev i, w h ic h forms th e g ro u n d -w o rk o f th e m o d e rn
H in d û s ta n i.” T h is la s t is a com p o u n d o f H in d i w ith P e r sian
. O n ex am in a tio n , th e affinity o f H in d i w ith th e S an s
k r it is p e c u lia rly s trik in g . “ Thai Sanskrit is the root
from which Hindi has sprung, not Hindi the dialect whence
Sanskrit has been refined\ may he clearly proved.” N in e-
te n th s o f th e H in d i m a y be tra c e d b a c k to th e p a re n t S an s
k r it, b u t th e r e y e t rem a in s a q u e stio n as to th e o rig in o f
th e rem a in in g p o rtio n , v
3 ^ <c -pjjg G a u ra , o r B en g a li, is th e la n g u a g e o f th e c o u n try
o f w h ic h th e a n c ie n t G a u r’ was once th e c a p ita l. I t is
sp o k e n in th e p ro v in c e o f B e n g a l a n d in th e e a ste rn p a rts
in th e greatdSii p u rity , co n ta in in g b u t few w o rd s w h ic h a re
n o t e v id e n tly o f S a n s k r it’o rig in .”
4 . M a it’h ila , or-TirutiydyVspoken in th e s irc a r o f T irh u t;
a n d as fa r to th e n o rthw a rd as th e NepM m o u n ta in s, h a s a
g r e a t affinity w ith th e B e n g a li. -
; 5. U riy a , th e la n g u a g e o f O d rad e sa , o r O rissa .
T h e se five H in d u n a tio n s o c cu p y th e n o rth e rn a n d e a ste rn
p a rts o f In d ia ; th e y a re d en om in a ted th e fiv e .G a u rs. T h e
remaining, five a re te rm e d th e five D ra v irs , a n d in h a b it th e
s o u th e rn a n d w e ste rn p a rts o f th e P e n in s u la .
6 . D ra v ira i s - t h # So u th ern p a r t o f th e P e n in s u la , w h e re
th e la n g u a g e ; b y E u ro p e a n s Je rm e d ^T am u l a n d M a la b a r is
sp p k e n i T h is d ia le c t, th e T am a la h , co n tain s a c o n sid e rab le
p o rtio n o f p u re S a n sk rit, w ith a n o th e r m o re ^ cb rru p ted an d
a g r e a te r n um b e r o f w o rd s o f d o u b tfu l o rig in .
7. M a h a ra sh tra o r M a h r a tta , is th e la n g u a g e o f a n a tio n
o f la te g re a tly e n la rg e d , b u t w h ich was fo rm e rly confined to
a m o u n ta in o u s tr a c t to th e so u thw a rd * of? th e N e rm a d a o r
N e rb u d d a . L ik e o th e r In d ia n d ia le c ts illc o n ta in s m u c h
p u re as w e ll as c o rru p t S a n sk rit, w ith a m ix tu re o f words
from a n u n k n ow n so u rce.
8'. K a rn a ta o r C a rn a ra is th e a n c ie n t la n g u a g e o f Kfirafi-
ta k a . I t b e a rs th e same affinity to th e S a n sk rit, as m o s t
o th e r d ia le c ts o f th e P e n in su la .
9 . T a ila n g a o r T ilan g a , th e la n g u a g e sp o k en in T e lin g h n a ,
a n a n c ie n t k in g d om on the.eas.tern co ast o f P e n in s u la ;
th is d ia le c t co n tain s m o re o f S a n s k r it th a n m an y o th e rs .
10. G u rja r a is th e d ia le c k o f G u z e raL
Th ese a rd d h e p rin c ip a l la n g u a g e s o f In d ia , a c c o rd in g to
th e m o st c o r r lc f o f th e S a n sk r it g ram m a ria n s.