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Prakrit & Pali: All you need to know about the newly designated Classical
Languages
Arjun Sengupta
5–6 minutes
Among the five languages to be recently accorded Classical Language status are Pali and Prakrit, two Sanskrit-derivatives that were
popular in Ancient India.
“Pali and Prakrit are at the root of India’s culture. These are languages of spirituality, wisdom and philosophy… Their recognition as Classical
Languages honours their timeless influence on Indian thought, culture and history,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on X.
Prakrits: language of the people
The term ‘Prakrit’ comes from ‘prakriti’ meaning ‘source’ or ‘origin’. Most scholars agree that this is to do with the Prakrits originating from
Sanskrit, the language of the Vedas and later Hindu literature.
There is no one Prakrit language. Rather, Prakrit generally refers to a group of closely-related Indo-Aryan languages, which may also have
other names. Their defining feature is that they were much simpler than Sanskrit, and thus the language used by the masses (as opposed to
Sanskrit being the language of the elites and high literature).
Historian A L Basham wrote in his classic The Wonder that was India (1954): “By the time of the Buddha the masses were speaking
languages which were much simpler than Sanskrit. These were the Prakrits, of which several dialects have been attested.”
Basham pointed out that the Prakrits were “much simpler than Sanskrit both in sound and grammar”. Moreover, most pre-Gupta inscriptions
— like the famous Ashokan edicts (dated to 3rd Century CE) — were written in some form of Prakrit. Inscriptions and edicts are meant for
the public, rather than for a small group of elite intelligentsia (like Sanskrit texts). Basham also noted that “women and humbler characters of
the Sanskrit drama are made to speak in formalised Prakrit of various dialects”.
Many Prakrits
A number of languages and dialects can be referred to as Prakrit. In fact, some scholars have broadly defined Prakrits to include all Middle
Indo-Aryan languages — languages which were derived from Sanskrit, and would later evolve to the modern languages spoken today, like
Hindustani, Marathi, Bengali, etc.
Some notable Prakrits include:
Magadhi: the official language of the Mauryan court, and the language of the people of Magadha (present-day Bihar). The Ashokan edicts
were composed in this language. This language would find wide use in Eastern India, and later evolved into modern-day languages such as
Bengali, Assamese, Odia, and the Bihari languages (Bhojpuri, Magahi, Maithili), among others.
Ardhamagadhi: Literally “half-Magadhi”, this was a later variation of the Magadhi language prominently used by Jain scholars. Legendary
linguist A C Woolner argued that this is the definitive form of Prakrit, with other forms being variants of Ardhamagadhi. (Introduction to
Prakrit, 1928). Most Prakrit courses today teach Ardhamagadhi.
Shauraseni: Used in North and Central India. The speech of women and people from the lower classes in Sanskrit plays was often denoted
in this Prakrit, which later evolved into Hindustani, Punjabi, and other languages of the Hindi group.
Pali: language of Buddhist canon
Being vernacular languages, Prakrits were also the language of choice for heterodox religions like Jainism and Buddhism. These emerged
as a challenge to the rigid social hierarchies and excessive ritualism of the Vedic tradition, and sought to make religion more accessible to
the masses.
Apart from Ardhamagadhi, the language of the Jain agamas, the other language to emerge in this regard is Pali, the language of the
Theravada Buddhist canon. Due to its significance to Buddhism, Pali is the variant of Prakrit that is most studied today.
The Pali Canon falls into three general categories or pitaka (basket). Together, it is thus known as Tipitaka (“three baskets”). These include
Vinaya Pitaka (or the “Discipline Basket”), dealing with rules or discipline of the Buddhist sangha ( monastic order;
Sutta Pitaka (or the “Sayings Basket”), the largest basket comprising discourses and sermons of the Buddha himself, as well as some
religious poetry; and
Abhidhamma Pitaka, the basket that further elaborates on Buddhist philosophy.
After Theravada Buddhism declined in India, Pali survived as a ecclesiastical language in Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, and
Cambodia, where this Buddhist school continued to prosper.
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Pali has traditionally been identified with Magadhi Prakrit, with the word ‘pali’ meaning “lines or series”, a reference to Pali being the
language of the series of Buddhist texts. Some modern scholars, however, believe Pali to be a mix of several Prakrit languages (including
more western dialects), which were combined and partially Sanskritised.
