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INTRODUCTION
The Manuscript
This edition of the Täräyana (Tg.) is based on the photocopy of its one and only MS. which is in the Jinacãritra-sūri MSS. Collection of Bikaner in Rajasthan and is mumbered 3584. A photo-copy of the MS. was supplied by the Late Agarchand Nahta to the Late Dr. A. N. Upadhye. The MS. is incomplete. It had originally twentytwo folios, of which folios no. 14, 15 and 16 are missing. Correspondingly we have a gap in the text covering the portion of the original from vv. 100 to 126 and the commentary portion for the vv. 99 to 126. As the grouping of the Gathās in Tg. ranges from three to six, it is to be inferred that the lost portion contained possibly round about twenty verses of Bappabhatti and five or six "index" verses of the compiler. The MS. measures 25 x 10 cm. It has 15 lines per side and 53 letters per line on an average. The MS. is carefully written and is fairly correct. It is undated. The Padimātrā is used. Its date can be guessed as not later than 1500 A.D.
Tg. is in the form of an anthology prepared by one Sankuka by collecting and arranging in various groups the Prakrit verses of the poet Bappabhatti. Eack verse-group is prefaced by the anthologist with his own verse which indexes the key-words of the verses in that group, There is also a Sanskrit commentary on all the verses. The colophon at the end of the MS. gives 172 as the total number of verses, but actually we find 175 verses. It also gives 1000 Granthāgras as the extent according to the traditional count.
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