Linguistic Development of Hindi from 1300 to

2000 AD
सन ् 1300 से 2000 के म य ह द का भाषा वकास
ENG716 – Project Report

Abhinav Bhatele (अिभनव भटे ले)

Department of Computer Science and Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur,
INDIA 208016
Email: bhatele@cse.iitk.ac.in

Project Supervisor – Prof. Achla Misri Raina (अचला िमौी रै ना)

Department of Humanities and Social Sciences
Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur,
INDIA 208016
Email: achla@iitk.ac.in

Abstract (ूःतावना)

“ ह द ह हमारे रा ीय एक करण का सबसे श शाली और ूधान मा यम है ।”

- क है यालाल मािणकलाल मुंशी
ह द भारतवष क रा भाषा और राजभाषा है । ह द का दे श क एकता और वकास म बहुत ह
मह वपूण योगदान है । खेद का वषय यह है क वतमान पीढ़ ह द क मह ा को भूलती जा रह है ।
यह शोधकाय ह द तथा उसके इितहास और वतमान प को उिचत ढं ग से समझने का एक लघु ूयास
है ।
“ःवराज का हमारा येय जन जन को ह द का लाभ पहंु चाना है ।”
- िशवराज पा टल, गृह मंऽी, भारत
(ह द दवस, 14 िसत बर 2004) [1]
इसी येय क पूित ू येक भारतवासी का कत य है । इस अंकन म सवूथम ह द के उ व एवं वकास
का छायािचऽ ूःतुत कया गया है । तदपरा
ु त ह द सा ह य के विभ न कालख ड का वणन कया
गया है । सन ् 1300 से 2000 ई. के म य ह द के भाषा वकास को समझने के िलए इन महान क वय
तथा रचियताओं का चयन कया गया है - अमीर खुसरो, कबीर, तुलसीदास, दे वद , सुिमऽानंदन पंत तथा
ह रवंशराय ब चन। इनक रचनाओं के ारा ह द के भाषा वकास का अ ययन, उसक उपभाषाओं
(ॄज, अवधी तथा खड़ बोली) के मा यम से कया गया है ।
Hindi is the national and official language of India. It has a very important contribution in
bringing about the unity and development of India. It is sad that the present generation is
forgetting the importance of Hindi. This project is a small effort to know Hindi, its history
and it’s present in the rightful manner.

To start with there is a description of language families and Hindi’s place in them. After that,
there is a discussion of the history of Hindi, its various dialects and its present form. After a
brief description of the various periods of Hindi literature, there follows a sketch of the
linguistic development of Hindi in the period 1300-2000 AD. Some of the most greatest
poets and writers of Hindi have been selected for this – Amir Khusro, Kabir, Tulsidas,
Devdatt, Sumitranandan Pant and Harivanshrai Bachchan. Through their works, the
linguistic development of Hindi and its dialects (Braj, Avadhi and Khadi Boli) has been
studied.

I. INTRODUCTION

The project is divided into different parts: 1. To know the language families of which Hindi is
a part, 2. To know the different historical forms of Hindi and its present day dialects, 3. To
see the development of Hindi literature through centuries, 4. To select representative
writers from different periods and to scale the linguistic changes that have occurred through
the years.

II. LANGUAGE FAMILIES

LANGUAGE AND GROWTH: Language is what one speaks. The basis of spoken language is
sound. It is this is sound which is comprehensible as meaningful and non-sensical words.
Language is the primary medium of transmitting our ideas to others with ease. In some
ways, language is the basis of human life and development.

LANGUAGE FAMILIES: Languages from across the globe have been divided into some major
super-families and further divided into families. One such super-family is the Indo-European
family (भारोपीय कुल) [2]. The common ancestor of the languages in this family is the Proto-
Indo-European language. The Indo-Iranian ( ह द ईराक ) or Aryan branch (आय शाखा) is a
very important which is further subdivided into:
1. Indo-Aryan (भारतीय आय), 2. Dardic (दरद ), 3. Iranian (ईरानी)

It is the Indo-Aryan languages of which Hindi ( ह द ) is a part. There are three distinct
periods in the historical development of these Indo-Aryan languages:
1. Ancient Period (2000 B.C. to 500 B.C.)
2. Medieval Period (500 B.C. to 1000 A.D.)
3. Modern Period (1000 A.D to today)

THE INDO-ARYAN LANGUAGE TREE: The modern Indo-Aryan languages can be classified
into the following based on the geographical locations:
1. Northern (उद य) – Lahanda (लहँ दा), Sindhi (िसंधी), Punjabi (पंजाबी)
2. Western (ूद य) – Gujarati (गुजराती), Bhili (भीली), Khandeshi (खानदे शी)
3. Central (म य) – In this group we predominantly have Hindi which can be further sub-
divided into the following depending on the regional influences – Eastern Hindi (पूव
ह द ), Western Hindi (पि मी ह द ), Bihari ( बहार ), Rajasthani (राजःथानी), Pahadi
(पहाड़ ).
4. Southern (दाि णा य) – Marathi (मराठ )
5. Eastern (ूा य) – Assamese (आसामी), Oriya (उ ड़या), Bengali (बंगला)

III. INTRODUCTION TO HINDI

DIFFERENT MEANINGS FOR THE WORD HINDI: The use of the word ‘Hindi’ in the context of
Hindi language was seen for the first time in the epic ‘Jafarnama’ (ज़फरनामा) in 1424 A.D. In
the initial days of its development as a language for the masses Hindi was referred to as
‘Bhasha’ (भाषा). It was also called ‘Bhakha’ (भाखा). Jains use this name for Hindi even
today. In its formative years the word Hindi was used to mean a lot of things like:

1. It was used to designate Urdu (उद)ू in the late Mughal Period.

2. In the state of Bijapur, Hindi was used to mean Marathi
3. Sanskrit (संःकृ त) was also referred to as Hindi by the people in Middle East

ANCIENT FORM OF HINDI: In the period 1500 B.C. to 600 B.C., the Vedic language was
considered as the language of literature. The roots of Hindi can be thought to be in Prakrit
which developed in the period 500 B.C. to 5th century A.D. It was developed to preach the
ideas of Buddhism because it was close to the language of the common masses. But the Pali
used in Buddhist literature was not devoid of Sanskrit influence.
Prakrit (ूाकृ त) Pali (पािल) gave way to Apbhransh (अपॅंश) which actually led to the rise of
different regional dialects of Hindi. These dialects paved the path for Khadi boli (खड़ बोली)
which is the form in which we recognize Hindi today.

HINDI AND ITS DIALECTS: We had earlier discussed that Hindi has regional variations and
there are various dialects of Hindi depending upon the region in which it is spoken. We give
a brief description of the dialects of Hindi [3]:

1. Western Hindi (पि मी ह द ) – Khadi Boli (खड़ बोली), Braj (ॄज), Kannauji (क नौजी) ,
Hariyani or Bangroo (ह रयानी या बांग )
2. Eastern Hindi (पूव ह द ) – Avadhi (अवधी), Bagheli (बघेली), Chhatisgadhi (छ ीसगढ़ )
3. Rajasthani (राजःथानी) – Marwadi (मारवाड़ ), Jaipuri (जयपुर ), Mewadi (मेवाड़ ), Maalvi
(मालवी)
4. Pahadi (पहाड़ ) – Nepali (नेपाली), Kumaoni (कुमायूनी), Gadhwaali (गढ़वाली), Chamoli
(चमोली), Kyonthali ( य ठाली), Kullai (कु लई), Jaunsari (जौनसार ), Sirmauri (िसरमौर )
5. Bihari ( बहार ) – Maithili (मैिथली), Magahi (मगह ), Bhojpuri (भोजपुर )

HINDI AND KHADI BOLI: Khadi boli is also a dialect of Hindi which is spoken by a huge
population in the northern belt. It is spoken in the northern tract between Ganga and
Jamuna extending from Saharanpur to Bulandshahar. It also extends further east from
Bijnaur to Rampur and on the west to Delhi and North Gurgaon. This dialect has been
recognized as the modern and standardized form of Hindi (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Map showing the extent of Hindi in the northern belt

(Source: Dhirendra Verma, Hindi Bhasha aur Lipi)

IV. HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF HINDI

PROCESS OF DEVELOPMENT OF HINDI: The first epic of Hindi was written by a Jain poet
Swayambhu (ःवयंभू) in south India sometime around 960 AD [4]. It was called Paum
Chariyu (पउम च रउ) or Padam Charit (पदम च रत). It had five parts – Vidyadhar Kaand
( व ाधर कांड), Aujjha Kaand (अउ झा कांड), Sundar Kaand (सुंदर कांड), Yudh Kaand (यु कांड)
and Uttar Kaand (उ र कांड). This style was later adopted into Ramacharitmanas
(रामच रतमानस). Hindi literature over the time span of 1000-2000 A.D can be divided into
four distinct periods depending upon: 1. the huge no. of creations of a particular kind, 2.
popularity of creations of a particular kind [5]. They are:

1. Adikaal or Veergathakaal (आ दकाल या वीरगाथाकाल): 1050-1375

2. Poorva-Madhyakaal or Bhaktikaal (पूवम यकाल या भ काल): 1375-1700
3. Uttar-Madhyakaal or Ritikaal (उ रम यकाल या र ितकाल): 1700-1900
4. Adhunikkaal or Gadyakaal (आधुिनककाल या ग काल): 1900-2000

Adikaal: This is the Veergathakal. Contrary to popular belief that Prithivirajraso written by
Chandvardai (च दवरदाई रिचत पृ वीराजरासो) is the first epic of this kind, it was
Sandeshrasak1 (संदेशरासक) [6] written by Abdulrehman (अ दलरहमान
ु ) from Multan. This was
compiled from different sources by Muni Janavijayji (मुिन जन वजयजी). Four languages were
into use- Sanskrit, Prakrit, Apabhransha, Deshbhasha (दे शभाषा). Apbhransha was used by
Buddhist monks. Deshbhasha was used by the poets in the courts of kings. It was because
of the constant attacks of Muslims and retaliation by the Rajputs that the trend to write
texts describing the valour of kings started. The famous epics of this time were:
Beesaldevraso (बीसलदे वरासो), Prithvirajraso (पृ वीराजरासो), Khumanraso (खुमानरासो) and
others. Khusro (खुसरो) and Vidyapati ( व ापित) were two great writers of this period.

Poorva Madhyakaal: This period is also known as Bhaktikaal. It came about primarily
because of the Muslim dominance over Hindus. This led Hindus to run towards God for help
and also make attempts to save their religion from coming to an end. It has two branches:

1. Nirgundhara (िनगुणधारा) – We again have two sets of writers here:

i. Gyanaashrayi ( ानाौयी) – Kabir (कबीर), Ravidas (र वदास), Dharmadas (धमदास)
i i. Prem-margi or Sufi (ूेममाग या सूफ ) – Malik mohammad jayasi (मिलक मोह मद
जायसी), Kutban (कुतबन), Manjjhan (मंझन)

2. Sagundhara (सगुणधारा) – We have two distinct sects here:

i. Rambhakti (रामभ ) – Ramanand (रामानंद), Senapati (सेनापित)
i i. Krishnabhakti (कृ ंणभ ) – Vallabhacharya (व लभाचाय), Soordas (सूरदास),
Swami Haridas (ःवािम ह रदास), Raskhaan (रसखान)

Uttar Madhyakaal: This period is termed as Ritikaal. This period was known for Rasa (रस),
Riti (र ित) or Alankar (अलंकार) in the writings. The first steps in this direction were taken by

1
An excerpt from the epic ‘Sandeshrasak’ (note the difference from present day hindi):

अणुराइय रइह कािमयमणह , मयण मह पह द वयरो।

वर हिणमइर उ सुणहु वसु उ, रिसयह रसरं जीवयरो।।
Keshavdasji (केशवदासजी). About 50 years later it was again restarted by Chintamani Tripathi
(िच तामिण ऽपाठ ).
This period has seen poets from among the following genres:
1. Ritibaddh (र ितब ) – These poets used the prevalent styles of writing. They were poets
of the courts - Devdatt or Dev (दे वद या दे व), Keshavdas (केशवदास)
2. Ritimukt (र ितमु ) – They did not consider any styles important. They were the poets of
the people - Ghananand (घनानंद), Padmakar (प ाकर)
3. Ritisiddh (र ितिस ) – They did not use the styles directly but developed their
independent styles like Bihari ( बहार )

Adhunikkaal: This period saw the beginning of prose for the first time in Hindi literature.
This is a very recent period and has seen the emergence of a lot of Hindi writers and writing
styles. This period has gone through the following changes as far as the writing style and
thematic content is concerned:

1. Bharatendu Yuga (भारते द ु युग) – They used Braj bhasha in their verses and Khadi Boli
in prose. This was the first time that prose was written. The oldest creation in Khadi Boli
in prose form was ‘Bhashayogavaashisht’ (भाषायोगवािश ) by Ramprasad Niranjani
(रामूसाद िनरं जनी) in 1798. The seeds of Khadi Boli can be seen in the 10th century epic
Hemachandrashabdanushasanam2 (हे मच िश दानुशासनम ्). Bharatendu Harishchandra
(भारते द ु ह र ि), Premghan (ूेमघन), Balmukund Gupt (बालमुकु द गु ) are the famous
poets of this period.

2. Dwivedi Yuga ( वेद युग) – This was the first time that Khadi Boli was used in verse
form. They also used Sanskrit chhands (छं द). Priya Pravas3 ( ूय ूवास) was the first
poem of Khadi Boli written by Hariaudh (ह रऔध). Pt. Mahavirprasad Dwivedi (पं.
महावीरूसाद वेद ), Ayodhyasingh Upadhyay Hariaudh (अयो यािसंह उपा याय ‘ह रऔध’),
Maithilisharan Gupt (मैिथलीशरण गु ) are some poets of the period.

3. Chhayavaad (छायावाद) – It was about imagination, love for beauty, affection for
humanity and nature. Jayshankar Prasad (जयशंकर ूसाद), Sumitranandan Pant

2
An excerpt from Bhashayogavaashisht is as follows:
भ ला हआ
ु जु मा रआ, ब हण महारा कंतु।
ल जेजं तु वयंिसअऊ, जे ह भ गा घर अंतु।।

3
An excerpt from Priya Pravas is as follows:
पो ान ूफु ल ूाय किलका राके द ु ब बानना
त वंगी कलहािसनी सुरिसका ब ड़ा कलापु ली।
 (सुिमऽानंदन पंत), Suryakant Tripathi ‘Nirala’ (सूयकांत ऽपाठ ‘िनराला’), Mahadevi Verma
(महादे वी वमा) are the exponents of this style.

4. Pragativaad (ूगितवाद) – It was about love for man, factual thinking, love for the nation
and for the poor and downtrodden. Ramdharisingh Dinkar (रामधार िसंह दनकर),
Balkrishna Sharma ‘Naveen’ (बालकृ ंण शमा ‘नवीन’), Shivmangal Singh Suman (िशवमंगल
िसंह ‘सुमन’) are a few poets of the period.
5. Swachhandatavaad or Halavaad (ःव छ दतावाद या हालावाद) – Their style was full of
enjoyment. The most famous exponent of this style id Dr. Harivanshrai Bachchan
(ह रवंशराय ब चन).
6. Prayogvaad (ूयोगवाद) – They developed new styles and looked for the human aspect in
nature and inanimate objects. Heeranand Sachhidanand Vatsyayan Agyeya (ह रान द
सि चदान द वा ःयायन अ ेय), Nagarjun (नागाजुन), Kedarnath Singh (केदारनाथ िसंह),
Jagdish Gupt (जगद श गु ) are some of poets of the recent times and of this genre.

V. POETS AND TEXTS

We will look at the linguistic development of Hindi with respect to the works of the following
poets and writers of Hindi:

1. Amir Khusro (अमीर खुसरो)

2. Kabir (कबीर)
3. Tulsidas (तुलसीदास)
4. Devdatt (दे वद )
5. Sumitranandan Pant (सुिमऽानंदन पंत)
6. Harivanshrai Bachchan (ह रवंशराय ब चन)

We will look at the following texts which are a source for the works of the above mentioned
poets and writers:

1. Website on Amir Khusro [7]

2. Kabir-Meemansa by Ramchandra Tiwari [8] and Saras Kavya Sangrah [9]
कबीर-मीमांसा, रामच ि ितवार ारा तथा सरस का य संमह
3. Shri Ramcharitmanas by Tulsidas [10]
ौीरामच रतमानस, तुलसीदास वरिचत
4. Dev-Sudha by Dr. Govardhannath Shukla [11]
दे व-सुधा, डा. गोवधननाथ शु ल ारा
5. Rashmibandh by Sumitranandan Pant [12]
 रिँमबंध, सुिमऽानंदन पंत ारा
6. Madhushala [13] and Madhukalash [14] by Harivanshrai Bachchan
मधुशाला और मधुकलश, ह रवंशराय ब चन ारा

We start with a brief description of the chosen writers, their life, their writing styles and
some specificity of the chosen texts.

Amir Khusro
Amir Khusro was born in 1253 in Patiyali (Etah district in U.P.). He compiled his first divan
of poetry Tuhfatus-Sighr in 1250. He wrote the famous ‘Tughlaq Nama’ in 1321 and died in
1325.
Khusro is regarded as the first poet (Adikavi) of Hindi. His works are in a language which is
a mixture of Braj, Hariyanvi, Khadi Boli, Farsi and sometimes Sanskrit. He himself called it
Hindavi. The various styles of poetry used by him are:

1. Dohe (दोहे ) – These are generally composed of two lines and are very brief.
खीर पकायी जतन से, चरखा दया जला।
आया कु ा खा गया, तू बैठ ढोल बजा।।

2. Keh-mukarni (कह-मुकरनी) – They are used to point to the ‘lover’ but they finally turn out
to be some very mundane thing.
िलपट-िलपट के वाके सोई, छाती से छाती लगाके रोई।
दांत से दांत बजे तो ताड़ा, ऐ सखी साजन ? ना सखी जाड़ा।

3. Dosukhne (दोसुखने) – In these two questions have the same answer and there is a pun.
समोसा यूं न खाया ? जूता यूं न पहना ? तला न था।
िसतार यूं न बजा ? औरत यूं न नहाई ? परदा न था।

4. Paheliyaan (पहे िलयाँ) – These are interesting riddles.

एक परख है सुंदर मूरत, जो दे खे वो उसी क सूरत।
फब पहे ली पायी ना, बोझन लागा आयी ना।।

5. Geet (गीत) – They are songs.

6. Chaubole (चौबोले) – They have a doha and four chhands.
7. Lori (लोर ) – They are evening songs.

Kabir
Kabir lived for 120 years approximately in the period from 1455 to 1575. There is a lot of
confusion as to where he was born (Maghar/ Belhara/ Mithila/ Kashi) but he definitely died
at Maghar.
He marks the beginning of the ‘Bhaktikaal’ in Hindi literature. His earliest works are in
Poorvi but later on he used a mixture of Avadhi, Braj, Rajasthani, Khadi Boli and Punjabi.
The various styles of poetry used by him are:
1. Sakhi (साखी) – ‘Sakhi’ is the Apabhransha form of Sakshi. It has the sayings and truths
about life discovered by saints. This was the favourite style of Kabir. He said:
साखी आँखी ान क – Sakhi are the eyes of knowledge
जब म था तब ह र नह ं, अब ह र ह म ना हं ।
सब अँिधयारा िमट गया, द पक रे खा मा हं ।। (कबीर)

2. Sabad (सबद) – ‘Sabad’ or ‘Pad’ is synonymous with the word of the supreme lord. It has
been used by saints to preach truth. Kabir says:
कहत कबीर सोई सुिन जागे, सबद-बान जे ह अ तर लागे
जाके नाम न आवत हये।
काह भये नर कािस बसे से, का गंगाजल पये,
काह भये नर जटा बढ़ाए. काह गुदर के िलये।
काह भयौ कंठ के बाँधे, काह ितलक के दये,
कहत कबीर सुनो भाई साधो, नाहक ऐसे िजये। (कबीर, सरस का य संमह)

3. Ramaini (रमैनी) – This word has probably originated from Ramayan and resembles a
style which has couplets and quadruplets.
4. Bavni (बावनी) – It uses the 52 letters (16 vowels and 36 consonants) of the Nagri
alphabet and each couplet represents a letter.
5. Chauntisa (च तीसा) – This is a form of Bavni wherein the vowels are left out and only 34
consonants are used.
6. Thinti (िथंती) – This form makes use of the days of a fortnight to preach religion,
knowledge and wisdom.
7. Vaar (वार) – This is similar to Thinti where the seven days of the week are used.
8. Chanchar (चाँचर) – This is a folk song which is sung during the spring festival.
9. Basant (बसंत) – These are songs sung in spring.
बारह-मास बसंत होय, परमारथ बूझै बरला कोय।
ब रसै अिगिन अखंड धार, ह रहर भौ-बन ठारह बार।
पिनया आदर धर न लोय, पवन गहै कस मिलन धोय।

10. Hindola ( हं डोला) – These are songs sung while sitting on swings during spring.
कोई ूेम क पग झुलावै।
भुज के खंभ और ूेम के रस से,
तन-मन आजु झुलाव रे । (कबीर) [15]

11. Kehra (केहरा) – This is also a song which is based on the ‘Kaharva Taal’.
12. Beli (बेिल) – This is a style which seems to blossom like a creeper.
राम गुन बेलड़ रे , अवधू गोरषनािथ जांिण।
 नाित ःव प न छाया जाकै, वरध करै बन पांिण।।
बेल ड़या ै अणीं पहँू ती, गगन पहँू ती सैली।
सहज बेिल जब फूलण लागी, डाली कूपल भे ह ।।

13. Birhuli ( बरहली

ु ) – This is sung to do away with snakes and other poisonous animals.
म कास कह आपन पय क बात र ।
कह कबीर बछुड़ न हं िमिलहौ
य तरवर छोड़ बनधाम र ।

14. Vipramatisi ( वूमतीसी) – This word is the Apabhransha form of ‘Vipr-matiteesi’. This
was probably used to criticize the Brahmins.
जब म भूला रे भाई,
मेरे सतगु जुगत लखाई।
क रया-करम-अचार छाँड़ा, छाँड़ा तीरथ का हाना।
सगर दिनया
ु भई सयानी, म ह इक बौराना।

Tulsidas
Tulsidas lived in Kashi (Varanasi) around 1581-1680. He was born at Rajapur (Banda
district in U.P.) or in Soron (Etah district in U.P.). He was a great Hindi poet and his greatest
contribution to literature is Shree Ramcharitmanas which is one of the most religious books
for Hindus apart from Shrimad Bhagvad Gita.
Apart from Ramcharitmanas and Vinay Patrika, Tulsidas has other literary works to his
name – Dohavali, Geetavali, Parvatimangal, Krishnageetavali, Kavitt Ramayana,
Jankimangal etc. He wrote primarily in Avadhi. His avadhi has a strong influence from
Sanskrit. He also used Braj in some of his texts like Geetavali and Kavitavali.

We find words from Bhojpuri, Bundelkhandi, Arbi and Farsi here and there. He used diverse
writing styles like:

1. Chhapaya (छ पय) – It is made of six words.

2. Barvaye (बरवै) – Tulsidas has used this style in Barvaye Ramayan.
च पक हरवा अंग िमिल अिधक सुहाइ।
जािन परै िसय हयरे जब कुि हलाइ।। (तुलसीदास, बरवै रामायण) [16]

3. Kavitt (क व ) – It is a beautiful style for writing poems. This excerpt here is from
Kavitavali.
साँवरे गोरे सलोने सुभायँ, मनोहरता िजत मैन िलयो है ।
बान कमान िनषंग कस, िसर सोह जटा, मुिन-बेषु कयो है ।।
संग िलएँ बधुबैनी बधु, रित को जे ह रं चक पु दयो है ।
पाँयन तौ पनह ं न, पयादे हं य चिलह ? सकुचात हयो है ।।
4. Geet (गीत) – ‘Jhoolna’ (झूलना) which is a kind of song is presented here:
म भट-मुकुट दसकंध-साहस-सइल-
सृंग- ब रिन जनु बळ टाँक ।
दसन ध र धरिन िच करत द गज कमठ
सेष संकुिचत सं कत पनाक ।। (तुलसीदास) [17]

5. Dohe (दोहे ) – It has 13 and then 11 meters in each line and is formed of two lines.
बार बार कौस या बनय करइ कर जो र।
अब जिन कबहँू यापै ूभु मो ह माया तो र।।

6. Sortha (सोरठा) – It has 11 and then 13 meters in each line and is formed of two lines.
बंदऊँ गु पद कंज कृ पा िसंधु नर प ह र।
महामोह तम पुंज जासु बचन र ब कर िनकर।।

7. Chaupaayi (चौपाई) – It has four charans and 16 meters.

अगिनत र ब सिस िसव चतुरानन। बहु िग र स रत िसंधु म ह कानन।।
काल कम गुन यान सुभाऊ। सोउ दे खा जो सुना न काऊ।।

8. Chhand (छं द) -
भए ूगट कृ पाला द नदयाला कौस या हतकार ।
हर षत महतार मुिन मन हार अ त
ु प बचार ।।
लोचन अिभरामा तनु घनःयामा िनज आयुध भुज चार ।
भूषन बनमाला नयन बसाला सोभािसंधु खरार ।।

9. Savaiye (सवैये) – It has some more meters than the normal chhands
बर दं त क पंगित कुंद कली अधराधर प लव खोलन क ।
चपला चमकै घन बीच जगै छ व मोितन माल अमोलन क ।।

Ramcharitmanas is the hindi version of Valmiki ramayan. It has become very popular
among Indians. It has been widely translated, explained and researched by a huge number
of scholars. Ramcharitmanas is the story of Lord Rama but it encompasses all the values
which are important for a healthy society. It portrays the ideal king, father, son, brother,
husband, mother, wife and sister. It is one of the greatest epics of all times.

Devdatt
Devdatt or Dev was born at Pansari tola Balalpura (Etawah districtin U.P.) in 1730. He died
in 1824. He has written 72 epics and is known to have inspired 52 more. He was a famous
poet of the Ritikaal. Some of his works are Bhava-vilaas, Ashtyaam, Prem Chandrika, Ras-
vilaas, Devshatak etc.
At the time when Dev started writing Braj had become the literary medium of expression.
He is regarded as an exponent of Braj. He also used many Sanskrit words in his writings.
We also find words from Avadhi, Khadi Boli, Arbi and Farsi in his works. His writing styles
include:

1. Savaiye (सवैये) –
नाचत मोर नचावत चाितक, गावत दादरु आरभट म,
को कल क कलकार सुने बरह बपुरे वष घूँट घट म।

2. Kavitt (क व ) –
चाँदनी महल बैठ चाँदनी के कौतुक को,
चाँदनी सी राधा-छ व चाँदनी बसाल रे ;
चंद क कला-सी दे व दासी संग फूली फरै ,
फूल-से दक
ु ू ल पै हे फूलन क मालर।

3. Dohe (दोहे ) –
ौी राधे ॄजदे व जै सु दर नंद कशोर।
द ु रत हरौ िचत के िचतै नैसुक दै ग-कोर।।

Sumitranandan Pant
Sumitranandan Pant was born in Kausani (Almora district of Uttaranchal) in 1957. He died
on 28th December, 1977. He started writing in 1975 and composed a huge number of
poems, songs, plays, essays and short stories. He was a writer of the Chhayavaad style. He
gave a flowery and melodious colour to his poems. He was awarded the Jnanpith award for
his famous collection of poems ‘Chidambara’.
His wrote in Khadi Boli. His famous works are:
1. Poems – Paalav, Veena, Gunjan, Granthi, Veena
2. Stories – Paanch Kahaniyaan
3. Plays – Jyotsna, Rajatshikhar, Shilpi

The book ‘Rashmibandh’ is a compilation of 99 poems by Pant. The revised addition with
some new poems was published in 1971. It has poems like Pratham Rashmi, Taaj, Baapu,
Himadri, Yathatathya and Yatharth aur Adarsh. A few lines from Pratham Rashmi:
ूथम रिँम का आना रं िगिण, तूने कैसे पहचाना ?
कहाँ, कहाँ हे बाल- वहं िगिन ! पाया, तूने यह गाना ?
सोई थी तू ःव न नीड़ म पंख के मुख म िछपकर,
झूम रहे थे, घूम ार पर, ूहर -से जुगुनू नाना !

Harivanshrai Bachchan
Harivanshrai Bachchan was born in Prayag (Allahabad) on 27th November, 1907. He died in
Mumbai on 18th January, 2003. He was a noted writer, critic, lyricist and the most famous
representative of the ‘Halavaad’ sect of writers. He received the Sahitya Akademi Award in
1969 and Padma Bhushan in 1976.
He was a writer of Khadi Boli but frequently used words from Sanskrit and Urdu. He was
influenced by Omar Khayyam's Rubaiyaat which led him to write his famous trilogy of
Madhushala (1935), Madhubala (1936), and Madhukalash (1937). We present the last lines
of Madhushala here to witness his writing style:
बड़े -बड़े नाज से मने पाली है साक बाला ;
किलत क पना का ह इसने सदा उठाया है याला ;
मान दलार
ु से ह रखना इस मेर सुकुमार को ;
व , तु हारे हाथ म अब स प रहा हँू मधुशाला।

VI. LINGUISTIC DEVELOPMENT

We have looked at the linguistic development of Hindi in terms of the following phenomena:

1. Script
2. Phonology
2. Lexicon
3. Morphology

6.1 Script-based Development

Let us begin with looking at the changes which have occurred in the script for Hindi i.e.
Devnagri (दे वनागर ).

Figure 2. Development of Devnagri Alphabet

(Source: Dhirendra Verma, Hindi Bhasha aur Lipi)
 Figure 3. Development of Devnagri Numerals
(Source: Dhirendra Verma, Hindi Bhasha aur Lipi)

6.2 Phonological Development

Some major changes have taken place in the sounds of Hindi are articulated here:

1. The use of Anuswaar ◌ं (अनुःवार) now also symbolizes the nasal consonants , ञ ्, ण ्, न ्
and म ् .
ग गा → गंगा
ञ् च चल → चंचल
ण् द ड → दं ड
न् स त → संत
म् स प → संप

2. Annunasik ◌ँ (अनुनािसक) is also used in place of Anuswaar ◌ं (अनुःवार)

3. The use of Visarg ◌ः ( वःसग) has almost stopped and words seem to have simply deleted
it. For example:
दःख
ु → दख
ु , छः → छह
4. A vowel which is not so much in use now ‘ऋ’ is now pronounced as ‘ र’
5. Words which used to end in pure consonants now have a vowel attached to them
जगत ् → जगत
भगवान ् → भगवान
6.2 Lexical Development
We will look at changes in nouns, pronouns, adjectives, and verbs.

6.2.1 Nouns

1. अि न
अि न → अिगिन → अि ग → आिग, आगी, आग

य ितल माँह तेल है , य चकमक म आिग।

तेरा सा तु झ म, जािग सकै तो जािग।। (कबीर)

नयन व हं जलु िनज हत लागी।

जर न पाव दे ह बरहागी।। (तुलसीदास, सुंदरका ड)

बूड़ जल ह म दन-यािमिनहँु जागी भौह,

धूम िसर छायो बरहािगिन बलिखयाँ।। (दे व, दे व-सुधा)

म दय म अि न लेकर एक युग से जल रहा हँू । (ब चन, मधुशाला)

2. नयन
नयन → नैन, नैना

नैन क कर कोठर , पुतली पलंग बछाय।

पलक क िचक डा रके, पय को िलया रझाय।। (कबीर)

गार ं सकल कैकइ ह दे हं ।

नयन बह न क ह जग जे हं ।। (तुलसीदास, अयो याका ड)

कपोल म उर के मृद ु भाव

ौवण नयन म ूय बताव ; (पंत, आँसू क बािलका)

3. ूय
ूय → पय → पी, पया

खुसरो रै न सुहाग क , जागी पी के संग।

तन मेरो मन पयो को, दोउ भए एक रं ग।। (खुसरो)

नैन क कर कोठर , पुतली पलंग बछाय।

पलक क िचक डा रके, पय को िलया रझाय।। (कबीर)
 कपोल म उर के मृद ु भाव
ौवण नयन म ूय बताव ; (पंत, आँसू क बािलका)

6.2.2 Pronouns

1. उ मपु ष एकवचन म

िजन ढंू ढा ितन पाइयाँ, गहरे पानी पै ठ।

ह बौर बूड़न डर , रह कनारे बै ठ।। (कबीर, सरस का य संमह)

तूँ तूँ करता तूँ भया, मुझ म रह न हँू ।

वार तेरे नाउ प र, िजत दे ख ितत तूँ।। (कबीर, कबीर-मीमांसा)

ऐसो जु ह जानतो क जैहै तू वषै के संग,

एरे मन ! मेरे, हाथ-पाएँ तेरे तोरतो ; (दे व, दे व-सुधा)

ूयतम, तू मेर हाला है , म तेरा यासा याला (ब चन, मधुशाला)

2. म यमपु ष एकवचन तुम

बालम आउ हमारै गेह रे ।

तु ह बन दिखया
ु दे ह रे ।। (कबीर, कबीर-मीमांसा)

तूँ तूँ करता तूँ भया, मुझ म रह न हँू ।

वार तेरे नाउ प र, िजत दे ख ितत तूँ।। (कबीर, कबीर-मीमांसा)

ऐसो जु ह जानतो क जैहै तू वषै के संग,

एरे मन ! मेरे, हाथ-पाएँ तेरे तोरतो ; (दे व, दे व-सुधा)

जहाँ कह ं िमल बैठे हम-तुम वह ं गई हो मधुशाला। (ब चन, मधुशाला)

3. अ यपु ष एकवचन वह

सूरा सोइ सरा हए, लड़ै धनी के हे त।

पुरजा पुरजा होइ रहै , तऊ न छाँड़ै खेत।। (कबीर, सरस का य संमह)

‘दे व’ न दे खित ह दित

ु दसर
ू , दे ख ह जा दन ते ॄज-भूप म,
पू र रह र वह धुन कानन, आनन आन न ओप अनूप म ; (दे व, दे व-सुधा)
6.3 Morphological Development
We will look at changes in verb-endings and cases (nouns and pronouns)

6.3.1 Cases - Pronouns

1. उ मपु ष एकवचन म

ऐसो जु ह जानतो क जैहै तू वषै के संग,

एरे मन ! मेरे, हाथ-पाएँ तेरे तोरतो ; (दे व, दे व-सुधा)

2. म यमपु ष एकवचन तुम

य ितल माँह तेल है , य चकमक म आिग।

तेरा सा तु झ म, जािग सकै तो जािग।। (कबीर)

ह र जननी म बालक तोरा।

काहे न अवगुन बकसहु मेरा।। (कबीर, कबीर-मीमांसा)

ऐसो जु ह जानतो क जैहै तू वषै के संग,

एरे मन ! मेरे, हाथ-पाएँ तेरे तोरतो ; (दे व, दे व-सुधा)

तूने ह पहले बहु दिशिन, गाया जागृित का गाना (पंत, ूथम रिँम)

3. अ यपु ष एकवचन वह

जो तोकूँ काँटा बुवै, ता ह बोइ तू फूल।

तो ह फूल-के-फूल ह, वाको ह ितरसूल।। (कबीर, सरस का य संमह)

िजन ढंू ढा ितन पाइयाँ, गहरे पानी पै ठ।

ह बौर बूड़न डर , रह कनारे बै ठ।। (कबीर, सरस का य संमह)

6.3.1 Verb Endings

1. मुःकुराना

परम बनीत सकुिच मुसुकाई।

बोले गुर अनुसासन पाई।। (तुलसीदास, बालका ड)

चूम नवल किलय का मृद ु मुख,

िसखा रहे थे मुःकाना ! (पंत, ूथम रिँम)
2. जाना

मात ै आपु जनी जगमात कयो पित तात सुतासुत जायो (दे व, दे व-सुधा)

शू य व के उर म केवल साँस का आना-जाना ! (पंत, ूथम रिँम)

3. उ लािसत होना

राम अनुज मन क गित जानी।

भगत बछलता हयँ हलसानी
ु ।। (तुलसीदास, बालका ड)

साँवरे अंग लसै पट पीत, हये हलसै

ु बनमाल सुहाई; (दे व, दे व-सुधा)

4. जानना

कथा अलौ कक सुन हं जे यानी।

न हं आचरजु कर हं अस जानी।। (तुलसीदास, बालका ड)

काितक पू यो क राित ससी दिस पूरब अंबर म िजय जा यो (दे व, दे व-सुधा)

VII. CONCLUSION (उपसंहार)

दो हज़ार वष पूव हमारे दे श क भाषा संःकृ त थी। जब कोई भाषा िश होने पर याकरण के कठोर
िनयम म बंध कर रह जाती है तब उसका वकास क जाता है । तब सामा य जन के वातालाप म
ूाकृ त को दे खा गया। ूाकृ त जब िश जन ने अपनायी, तब अपॅंश लोकभाषा बनी। काला तर म जब
अपॅंश सा ह य क भाषा बनी तब ॄज और अवधी जैसी ेऽीय लोकभाषाएँ आगे बढ़ ं। वतमान ह द
(खड़ बोली) का ज म इसी अपॅंश से हआ
ु है ।

ह द सा ह य का वकास बम वीरगाथाकाल, भ काल, र ितकाल तथा ग काल के मा यम से अं कत

कया जा सकता है । ह द भाषा क ूकृ ित संःकृ त, ूाकृ त तथा अपॅंश से ूभा वत है । ह द क
उकारा तता और ईकारा तता बमशः ॄजभाषा और अवधी क दे न है । खड़ बोली क आकारा तता ूाकृ त
एवं अपॅंश से उपजी है । पद के खड़ पायी/ माऽा से अंत होने के कारण ह खड़ बोली का ऐसा नाम
पड़ा है । वतमान ह द म सरल सं ा, सवनाम और बया पद का ूयोग होता है । यह कारण है क
ह द सीखना तथा बोलना अित सरल है ।

Two thousand years ago, Sanskrit was the language of our nation. When a language gets
constrained in the rigidities of grammar it’s development stops. It was then that Prakrit
emerged as the language of the masses. When Prakrit was adopted by the intellectuals,
Apabhransha became the common language. In due course, when Apabhransha became the
language of literature, regional languages like Braj and Avadhi developed. Present day Hindi
(Khadi Boli) developed from Apabhransha.

The development of Hindi literature can be described through Veergathakaal, Bhaktikaal,

Ritikaal and Gadyakaal. The behaviour of Hindi is influenced by Sanskrit, Prakrit and
Apabhransha. The o-ending and i-ending of Hindi can be attributed to Braj bhasha and
Avadhi respectively. The a-ending nature of Khadi Boli has emerged from Prakrit and
Apabhransha. Since words in Khadi Boli end with a standing line/ vowel, hence it is so
called. Present Hindi uses simple nouns, pronouns and verbs. That is why it is so easy to
learn and speak Hindi.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I wish to thank Dr. Ramakrishna Sharma (ex-Reader and Head, Hindi Department,
Kothiwaal Adhtiyaa Mahavidyalaya, Kasganj) for his immense and invaluable help in
carrying the project forward. He provided a huge number of texts and information on Hindi
and facilitated my understanding of the texts. He sat with me during many sessions and any
amount of thanking will prove to be less.
I also wish to thank my supervisor Dr. Achla M. Raina (Professor, Department of Humanities
and Social Sciences, I.I.T. Kanpur) for her supervision and direction in taking the project
towards completion.

REFERENCES

[1] <http://rajbhasha.nic.in>
[2] Prof. Rameshchandra Sharma, Hindi Bhasha: Sankshipt Parichay, Sahitya Niketan,
Kanpur, 1970
ूो. रमेशच ि शमा, ह द भाषा: संि प रचय, सा ह य िनकेतन, कानपुर, 1970
[3] Dhirendra Verma, Hindi Bhasha aur Lipi, Hindustani Academy, Allahabad, 1996
धीरे ि वमा, ह द भाषा और िल प, ह दःतानी
ु ऐकेडमी, इलाहाबाद, 1996
[4] Hindi – Ekta ki Kadi, Vishwa Hindi Sammelan, Nagpur, 1975
ह द – एकता क कड़ , व ह द स मेलन, नागपुर, 1975
[5] Acharya Ramchandra Shukla, Hindi Sahitya ka Itihaas, A to Z Publication, Allahabad,
2001
आचाय रामच ि शु ल, ह द सा ह य का इितहास, ए टू ज़ेड पि लकेशन, इलाहाबाद, 2001
[6] Hajariprasad Dwivedi, Vishwanath Tripathi, Abdulrehman-krit Sandeshrasak, Hindi-
Granth-Ratnakar (Pvt.) Ltd., Bombay, 1965
हजार ूसाद वेद , व नाथ ऽपाठ , अ दलरहमान
ु -कृ त संदेशरासक, ह द -म थ-र ाकर (ूाइवेट)
िलिमटे ड, ब बई, 1965
[7] <http://www.angelfire.com/sd/urdumedia/index.html>
[8] Ramchandra Tiwari, Kabir-Meemansa, Lokbharti Prakashan, Allahabad, 2000
रामच ि ितवार , कबीर-मीमांसा, लोकभारती ूकाशन, इलाहाबाद, 2000
[9] Bharat Bhushan ‘Saroj’ (editor), Saras Kavya Sangrah, Asha Prakashan Grih, New Delhi
 भारत भूषण ‘सरोज’ (स पादक), सरस का य संमह, आशा ूकाशन गृह, नई द ली
[10] Goswami Tulsidas, Shri Ramcharitmanas, Geetapress, Gorakhpur
तुलसीदास वरिचत, ौीरामच रतमानस, गीताूेस, गोरखपुर
[11] Dr. Govardhannath Shukla (editor), Dev-Sudha, Bharat Prakashan Mandir, Aligarh
डा. गोवधननाथ शु ल (स पादक), दे व-सुधा, भारत ूकाशन मं दर, अलीगढ़
[12] Sumitranandan Pant, Rashmibandh, Allahabad, 1971
सुिमऽानंदन पंत, रिँमबंध, इलाहाबाद, 1971
[13] Harivanshrai Bachchan, Madhushala, Hind Pocket Books
ह रवंशराय ब चन, मधुशाला, ह द पौकेट बु स
[14] Harivanshrai Bachchan, Madhukalash, Hind Pocket Books
ह रवंशराय ब चन, मधुकलश, ह द पौकेट बु स
[15] Hajariprasad Dwivedi, Kabir, Rajkamal Prakashan, New Delhi, 2002
हजार ूसाद वेद , कबीर, राजकमल ूकाशन, नई द ली, 2002
[16] Tulsidas, Barvaye Ramayan, Hindi Sahitya Sammelan, Prayag, 1967
तुलसीदासकृ त बरवै रामायण, ह द सा ह य स मेलन, ूयाग, 1967
[17] Udaibhanu Singh, Tulsi, Radhakrishna Prakashan Private Ltd., New Delhi, 1976
उदयभानु िसंह, तुलसी, राधाकृ ंण ूकाशन ूाइवेट िलिमटे ड, नई द ली, 1976
[18] Pt. Kishoridas Vajpayi, Bhartiya Bhashavigyan, Chaukhamba Vidyabhawan, Varanasi,
1959
पं. कशोर दास वाजपेयी, भारतीय भाषा व ान, चौख बा व ाभवन, वाराणसी, 1959
 APPENDIX I
Language and Linguistics

DEFINITION: Man is a social animal and in a society mutual exchange of ideas is extremely
necessary. This exchange is possible through sensory, visual and auditory senses. Hence
language has been termed as a medium of communication of ideas and feelings among
humans. But this is a somewhat lose definition of language. Language should be meaningful
and worth studying. Let us see how some Indian linguists have defined language. According
to Acharya Kishoridas Vajpayee, ‘Language is the expressed collection of sounds through
which we share our ideas or feelings.’ In the words of Dr. Bholanath Tiwari [2],

“भाषा उ चारणोपयोगी अवयव से िनःसृत (उ च रत) ौा य साथक अ ययन व ेषणीय या ि छक (माने

हए
ु अथ वाले) विन ूतीक क वह यवःथा है िजसके ारा एक समाज के लोग आपस म भाव व
वचार का आदान ूदान करते ह।”

LANGUAGE AND THE WORLD: There are numerous races of man across the world and every
part of the world has its own language. The power of language depends upon the knowledge
its speakers possess. If the knowledge is less, the language is also feeble. Where the
knowledge is more, the language is powerful. We need to point a minor difference between
force and power of a language here. Force comes from the growth of grammar and other
parts of the language. Power comes from the supremacy of use of the language. The growth
of one depends on development and of the other depends on use of the language. The
subject of one is linguistics and of the other is literature.

APPENDIX II
Works of Amir Khusro

दोहे –

खुसरो रै न सुहाग क , जागी पी के संग।

तन मेरो मन पयो को, दोउ भए एक रं ग।।

खुसरो द रया ूेम का, उ ट वा क धार।

जो उतरा सो डब
ू गया, जो डबा
ू सो पार।।

खीर पकायी जतन से, चरखा दया जला।

आया कु ा खा गया, तू बैठ ढोल बजा।।

गोर सोवे सेज पर, मुख पर डारे केस।

चल खुसरो घर आपने, सांझ भयी चहु दे स।।
कह मुकरनी –

िलपट-िलपट के वाके सोई, छाती से छाती लगाके रोई।

दांत से दांत बजे तो ताड़ा, ऐ सखी साजन ? ना सखी जाड़ा।

वो आये तब शाद होवे, उस बन दजा

ू और ना कोय।
मीठे लाग वाके बोल, ऐ सखी साजन ? ना सखी ढोल।

सगर रै न छितयन पर राखा, प रं ग सब वाका चाखा।

भोर भई जब दया उतार, ऐ सखी साजन ? ना सखी हार।

दोसुखने –

राजा यासा यूं ? गधा उदास यूं ? लोटा न था।

द वार ू ? राह
यूं टट यूं लुटा ? राज न था।

अनार यूं न चखा ? वज़ीर यूं न रखा ? दाना न था।

दह यूं न जमा ? नौकर यूं न रखा ? ज़ािमन न था।

घर यूं अंिधयारा ? फक र यूं बड़बड़ाया ? दया न था।

गोँत यूं न खाया ? डोम यूं न गाया ? गला न था।

समोसा यूं न खाया ? जूता यूं न पहना ? तला न था।

िसतार यूं न बजा ? औरत यूं न नहाई ? परदा न था।

पं डत यूं न नहाया ? धोबन यूं न मार गयी ? धोती न थी।

िखचड़ यूं न पकायी ? कबूतर यूं न उड़ायी ? छड़ न थी।

पहे िलयाँ –

एक गुनी ने ये गुन क ना, ह रयल पंजरे म दे द ना।

दे खो जादगर
ू का कमाल, डारे हरा िनकाले लाल।। (पान)

एक परख है सुंदर मूरत, जो दे खे वो उसी क सूरत।

फब पहे ली पायी ना, बोझन लागा आयी ना।। (आईना)

बाला था जब सबको भाया, बड़ा हआ

ु कुछ काम न आया।
खुसरो कह दया उसका नाँव, अथ कहो नह ं छाड़ो गाँव।। ( दया)