UGC NET Prakrit Syllabus 2025: Download PDF Now!

Exam Name

UGC NET (University Grants Commission National Eligibility Test)

Conducting Body

National Testing Agency (NTA)

Subject

Prakrit

Mode of Exam

Online - CBT (Computer-Based Test)

Exam Duration

180 minutes

No. of Papers and Total Marks

• Paper 1: Teaching & Research Aptitude
• Paper 2: Prakrit 

Total Marks

• Paper 1 – 100 marks
• Paper 2 – 200 marks

Total Questions

• 50 MCQs in Paper 1
• 100 MCQs in Paper 2

Marking Scheme

• +2 for each correct answer
• No negative marking for incorrect answer

Unit Name & Number

Unit Details

Unit – I: History of the Prakrit Language: Origin and Development

• Elements of the Prakrit language in Vedic literature 
• Earliest source of Prakrit 
• Development of the Prakrit language:

• Primary Prakrit

• Inscriptional Prakrit, Niya Prakrit, Prakrit Dhammapada 
• General introduction to the language of the Aṅga Canonical texts 
• General introduction to the language of the texts – Kasāyapāhuḍa, Ṣaṭkhaṇḍāgama and the texts of Kundakunda

• Secondary Prakrit

• Language of the Upāṅga canonical texts and Mūlasūtras : Aupapātika, Rājapraśnīya, Daśavaikālika, Uttarādhyayana 
• General introduction to the language of the Mūlācāra, Bhagavatī Ārādhanā and Tiloyapaṇṇatti 
• General introduction to the language of Gāthāsaptasatī, Paümacariyaṃ and Vasudevahiṇḍī 

• Tertiary Prakrit:

• Commentary literature of the Canons : general introduction to the language of the Dhavalā and Jayadhavalā, sukhabodhā, commentary of Śīlāṅka on Sūtrakṛtāṅga 
• General introduction to the Setubandha, Gaüḍavaho, Līlāvaikahā and Prakrit texts of Haribhadrasūri, Kuvalayamālākahā 
• Origin of the Apabhraṃśa language: Study of the works of Joindu, Svayambhū and Puṣpadanta & the Apabhraṃśa verses cited by Hemacandra in his Prakrit grammar

4. Contribution of Prakrit to the development of modern Indian languages: Hindi and other regional languages

Unit – II: Origin and characteristic features of different Prakrits

• Mahārāṣṭrī 
• Śaurasenī 
• Ardhamāgadhī 
• Māgadhī 
• Paiśācī 
• Apabhraṃśa

Unit – III: Prakrit Canons and Commentary literature

• History of Ardhamāgadhī and Śaurasenī canonical literature 
• History of commentary literature of the Prakrit canons 
• General introduction to the Samaṇasuttaṃ

Unit – IV: History of Prakrit Kāvya literature

• Mahākāvya 
• Khanḍakāvya 
• Caritakāvya 
• Kathākāvya 
• Campūkāvya 
• Muktakakāvya

Unit – V: Prakrit in the ancient dramatic literature and Saṭṭaka literature

• Prakrits in the dramas of Aśvaghoṣa and Bhāsa 
• Prakrits in the Mṛcchakaṭika, Mudrārākṣasa and in the dramas of Kālidāsa 
• Characteristic features of the Saṭṭaka literature

Unit – VI: Prakrit Inscriptional literature

• Study of the 14 Rock-edicts of the Girnar version of Emperor Aśoka 
• Study of the Hāthīgumphā Inscription of Emperor Khāravela 
• Study of the Ghaṭiyāla Inscription of Kakkuka

Unit – VII: Prakrit Scientific literature

• Rhetorics 
• Kośa 
• Some important Prakrit texts on Astrology and Mathematics 
• Prakrit grammarians and grammatical treatises 
• Metrics 
• Features with examples of some of the metres in Prakrit and Apabhraṃśa

• Prakrit Metres – gahā, patthā, viulā, uggāhā, gāhū, siṃhiṇī, gāhiṇī, khaṃdhaa 
• Apabhraṃśa Metres – duvai, kaḍavaa, ghattā, pajjhaḍiā, helā, caüpāiyā

Unit – VIII: Prakrit Grammar and Prakrit Philology

• Prakrit Grammar – General rules of the Noun, Adjective, Pronoun,Verb, Indeclinables, Case, Case-endings, Sandhi and Samāsa 
• Prakrit Philology – Phonetic Changes – vowels and consonants, ya-śruti, anusvāra, anunāsika, visarga; Phonetic behaviors – Assimilation, Dissimilation, Anaptyxix, Metathesis, Elision, Āgama, etc.

Unit – IX: Study of the Original Prakrit Texts

• Ācārāṅga (First śrutaskandha : Chapter I - satthapariṇṇā; Chapter II- logavijaya) 
• Uttarādhyayana (Chapter I – Viṇayasuyaṃ, Chapter IX – namipavajjā) 
• Daśavaikālika (Chapters – I, II, III and IV) 
• Pravacanasāra of Kundakunda (Chapter I - jñādhikāra) 
• Sammaisuttaṃ of Siddhasena (Full text) 
• Dravyasaṃgraha of Nemicandra (Full text) 
• Bhagavatī Ārādhanā of Śivārya (verses 1 – 72)
• Vasunandī-śrāvakācāra (verses 1 – 50 and the verses based on seven types of addictions 60 – 87 and 101 – 111)

Unit – X: Study of the Original Prakrit Kāvya literature

• Mṛcchakaṭika of Śūdraka – only Prakrit portions (Chapters 1,2 and 6) 
• Setubandha of Pravarasena – Chapter I 
• Vajjālaggaṃ of Jayavallabha – First eight vajjās : soyāra, gāhā, kavva, sajjaṇa, dujjaṇa, mitta, neha, nīivajjā 
• Gāhāsattasaī of Hāla – First śataka : verses 1 – 50 
• Samarāiccakahā – Chapter I 
• Kuvalayamālākahā Uddyotansūri – paragraphs 1-12
• Karpūramañjarī of Rājaśekhara (Full) 
• Paümacariu of Svayambhū – Chapters 21 and 22 
• Nāyakumāracariu of Puṣpadanta – Chapter I 
• General introduction to the modern Prakrit literature 

1) Rayaṇavālakahā 

2) Bhāvaṇāsāro 

3) Virāgasetu 

4) Titthayara-bhāvaṇā

Paper-I Teaching & Research Aptitude

50

100

Paper-II Prakrit

100

200

Total Weightage 

150

300