Prakrit literature definition of Prakrit literature in the Free Online Encyclopedia.

Prakrit literature. By the 6th cent. B.C. the people of India were speaking and writing languages that were much simpler than classical Sanskrit. These vernacular forms, of which there were several, are called the Prakrits [Skt.,=natural]. One very important and early Prakrit was Pali (see Pali canon Pali canon (pä`lē), sacred literature of Buddhism .
..... Click the link for more information. ), which became the language of the Buddhists. However, most of the literature generally called Prakrit is devoted to Jainism Jainism (jī`nĭzəm) [i.e., the religion of Jina], religious system of India practiced by about 5,000,000 persons.
..... Click the link for more information. . The sacred texts (Siddhanta or Agama) of the two main sects of the Jains employed three types of Prakrit. The oldest sutras of the Svetambara sect are written in Ardha-Magadhi, while later books are in Maharastri. The Svetambara canon, written in verse and prose, received its final form in A.D. 454. The sacred books of the Digambara sect are written in Savraseni. An important source of knowledge of Prakrit is the Sanskrit drama. Kalidasa Kalidasa (kä'lĭdä`sə), fl. 5th cent.?, Indian dramatist and poet.
..... Click the link for more information. is included among many dramatists, who, in order to obtain a realistic effect, had the common people in their plays speak in Prakrit. See Sanskrit literature Sanskrit literature, literary works written in Sanskrit constituting the main body of the classical literature of India.

Introduction

The literature is divided into two main periods—the Vedic (c.1500–c.200 B.C.
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Bibliography

See M. Winternitz, A History of Indian Literature (2 vol., tr. 1927–33, repr. 1971).