6TH PRAKRIT FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM CONCLUDES SUCCESSFULLY
The sixth edition of the Bhagwan Mahavira Prakrit Fellowship (BMPF) concluded with distinction on May 28, 2026, in Pune. At the valedictory ceremony, four dedicated learners were awarded Postgraduate Diploma certificates by the ISJS in collaboration with Deccan College Postgraduate and Research Institute (Deemed to be University), Pune.
Commencing on September 1, 2025, the fellowship followed a rigorous schedule of three classes per day, five days a week. Each 90 minute lecture was paired with lively discussions, fostering deep engagement with the Prakrit language and Jain intellectual traditions.
Over the nine month program, participants studied Siddha hem shabdanushasan, the 12th century grammar by Jain monk Hemachandra, comprising 1,119 sutras on vowels, consonants, declensions, conjugations, numerals, and verb substitutions, along with linguistic tendencies such as metathesis and anaptyxis. The curriculum extended to Shauraseni, Magadhi, Ardhamagadhi, Paishachi, Chulika Paishachi, and Apabhramsa dialects, complemented by a short course on the Brahmi script to read Prakrit inscriptions.
Faculty members enriched the learning experience with word games, class exercises, and frequent revisiting of sutras. Translation practice was emphasized through excerpts from Jain canonical texts such as Acharanga, Sutrakritanga, Uttaradhyayana, Dashvaikalik, Paumachariyam, Saman Suttam, Bhagavati Aradhana, Mulachar, and Dravyasamgraha, alongside literary works like Abhijnan Shakuntalam, Gathasaptashati, and Mricchakatikam, as well as inscriptions of Ashoka and Kharvel.
To monitor progress, monthly tests were conducted, culminating in a final evaluation held from May 15 to May 27, 2026. The assessment comprised three written examinations and a viva voce, overseen by external subject expert Dr. Rajashree Mohadikar.
The fellowship’s conclusion marks another milestone in advancing the study of Prakrit and Jain traditions, reaffirming ISJS’s commitment to nurturing scholarship in classical Indian languages.
I visited ISJS on May 27, 2026 for interviewing Prakrit students after completion of their nine-month course. It made me very happy to find them using Hemachandra’s aphorisms to explain phonetic and grammatical analysis of words. Not just that, they are also well-versed in the textual and physical understanding of various Prakrit texts. This highlights the efforts put in by the students and also by the teachers. It will advance Prakrit studies in the field of both philosophy and linguistics. I wish them all the very best for their future ventures. I am thankful to ISJS for giving me this opportunity of examining these students.
Dr. Rajashree Mohadikar
Former Head Department of Sanskrit and Prakrit Languages
Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune