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Studies in Jainology, Prakrit
273
(Śa. Śaka. 1821) disappointed me. Could the date be wrong? Or could this Cāmundarāya be some other recent author who wrote this vrtti? Or could it be that some furious lines in thc MS may have led the editor to add this note? Only a close examination of the MS itself would throw light on these surmises.
After taking, thus, a critical survey of the various commentaries on the Gommatasāra, one is struck by a fact that the Kannada commentary of Keśavavarni, which is complete, thorough and the biggest in volume, still remains in the manuscript form, though its Sanskrit translation and the latter's Hindi version have come to light long back. The Manuscript Library of the Jaina Matha at Moodbidri alone possesses several MSS of the Gommatasara with the Kannada commentary of Kesavavarni. Besides there are many other MSS of the Gommatasāra with the Kannada commentaries noted anonymously. 18 With all these in view, I would irresistably appeal that some capable Oriental or Jaina Institutc should have this great Kannada commentary of Kesavavarni critically edited by some competent scholar and publish it soon, so that the importance and value of the Gommatasara would stand out in their perfection. Moreover, this project may also throw some light on the alluded desī attempt - a vrtti, pratilipi or chāyā - in respect of the Gommatasara by Cāmundaraya.''
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