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This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1880 edition. Excerpt:...does not materially differ from that of the ordinary Prakrit. But many of the peculiarities of the latter do not yet show themselves in the earlier Prakrit of Chanda. In common with the later, the old Prakrit does not possess the following Sanskrit vowels; ri (II, 5), ai (II, 6), au (II, 8) and the protracted (pluta, II, 14). Nothing is said regarding ri, Iri, Iri, but they seem to be included in the term rvarnasya (II, 6). A similar accidental omission of sutra I, 15 has occurred in the caso of MS. B. Instead of ri, either the syllable ri or any other vowel a, i, u, e, o) may be used, according to circumstances (II, 5). Instead of ai either ai or e, and instead of au either au or o, may be used, according to circumstances (II, 6-9): but not i, i and u, as in later Prakrit. With regard to the changes of those vowels which the old Prakrit possesses, there are the following two broad laws: 1. A long vowel (a, i, u) preceding a conjunct consonant is shortened (a, i, u), II, 3. Hemachandra's rule, H. C. I, 84, corresponds to this; Vararuchi has no corresponding rule, see Co well, p. 185. 2. The final vowel of the former part of a compound word is dropped, if the initial vowel of the latter part is followed by a conjunct consonant (II, 2); e. g., deva + indra would in Sanskrit be devendra, but in the Arsha the final a of deva is elided, hence the compound is devinda There is nothing corresponding to this rule in either Vararuchi or Hemachandra; they apparently did not acknowledge it. But evidences of the change to which the rule refers are by no means uncommon, even in the later Jaina Prakrit; thus in the Bhagavati occur --Skr....