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General Editor's Foreword
I have great pleasure in publishing for the first time Sankuka's anthology of Bappabhatri-sūri's Prakrit Muktakas entitled Täräyana (Sk. Târāgana), 'The Assembly of Stars', along with an anonymous Sanskrit commentary. The difficult task of editing the text from its only available Ms. has been creditably accomplished by Dr. H. C. Bhayani, who is a renowned scholar and is also the President of the Prakrit Text Society. Sankuka seems to be a contenmporay of Bappabhatti-sūri (800-895 A.D.), while the Sanskrit commentary, which is considerably helpful in interpreting many a difficult verses of Bappabhatti, is possibly not later than the tenth century. The unique importance of the Tīrāgana lies in the fact that it is the sole preserved specimen of the Prakrit Muktaka poetry of a known author, who flourished in the long interval between Hāla Sātavāhana, the uthor of the Saptaśataka or Gäthäkośa and Jayavallabha, the author of the Vajjālagga. The poetic qualities of Bappabhatti-sūri's Subhāṣitas justifies the Jain tradition of glorifying him as an eminent Prakrit poet.
Dr. Bhayani's Introduction deals with all the relevant issues connected with the texts and their authors. I thank him for editing this work for the Prakrit Text Society.
D. D. Malvania
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