नाट्यशास्त्रम् (प्रथम भाग - अभिनवभारती एवं हिन्दी टीका सहित)

324 THE NATYASASTRA [ XVIII. 6-

Vowels and simple consonants

6. Sounds following e and o (i.e. ai and au) and the Anu-svāra [in the alphabet] do not occur in Prakrit. And such is the case with sounds between va and sa (i.e. śa and ṣa) and the final sounds in the ka, ca and ta groups (i.e. ṅa, ña, ṇa).¹

7. Ka, ga, ta, da, ya, and va are dropped [in Prakrit] and the meaning is carried by the [remaining] vowels, and kha, gha, tha, dha and bha become ha without giving up the meaning of the word.

8. In Prakrit ra does neither precede nor follow [a consonantal sound] except in cases of bhadra, vodra, hrada, candra and the like.¹

9. Kha, gha, tha, dha and bha always become ha in words such as mukha, megha, kathā and vadhu prabhūta.¹ And as for ka, ga, ta, da, ya² and va, the vowel³ following them always represents them.

10. Ṣa it should be known, always become cha in words such as ṣatpada.¹ The final syllable of kila should be ra and the word khalu should become khu.

---

6 (C. 6-8; B.XVII.7). ¹ This together with three following couplets are written not in Skt. but in Prakrit. Hence they seem very much to be an interpolation. The first of these occurs as a quotation (without the author's name) in a late metrical work edited by M.H.D. Velankar (Annals of the Bhandarkar Inst. XIV. 1932-33, pp. 1-38, citation, Nitti-Dolci, p.71).

7 (C.6-8; B.XVII.8).

8 (C.6-8; B.XVII.9). ¹ Nitti-Dolci and B. reads padra for draha. See chāyā and Ag. and also PSM. for the Pkt. words. Cf. Nitti-Dolci, p.71.

9 (C.6-8; B.XVII.10). ¹ Evidently hard aspirates in case of other words did not change. Ag's. example of such words are kheṭa, parigha, atha. This speaks of the high antiquity of the Pkt. of the NŚ.

² The non-aspirate consonants mentioned here are to be understood as devoid of the inherent vowel 'a'.

³ The word saro (=svaraḥ) here means "vowel" and not "sound". Cf. Nitti-Dolci p.71.

10 (C.9; B.XVII.11). ¹ Ag. is silent about this ṣaṭpadādi gaṇa.