Description
Prakrit (; Sanskrit: प्राकृत, Sanskrit: prākṛta; Telugu: prākrutam ; Kannada: pagada ; Tamil: pāgadam; Shauraseni: 𑀧𑀸𑀉𑀤, pāuda ; Jain Prakrit: pāua ) is a group of vernacular Middle Indo-Aryan languages that were used in the Indian subcontinent from around the 3rd century BCE to the 8th century CE. The term Prakrit is usually applied to the middle period of Middle Indo-Aryan languages, excluding earlier inscriptions and Pali.
Prākṛta has two meanings: one is "natural", as opposed to saṃskṛta , which literally means "constructed" or "refined". The other meaning, as quoted by A. Woolner, is that one is derived from Sanskrit, as Sanskrit is considered natural, and that all Prakrita are derived from Sanskrit. Prakrits were considered the regional spoken (informal) languages of people, official, and religious purposes across Indian kingdoms of the subcontinent. Literary registers of Prakrits were also used contemporaneously (predominantly by śramaṇa traditions) alongside higher social classes.
