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## Introduction
**The Literary Form of Padmacarita**
The language of Padmacarita is imbued with grace and is extremely captivating. After seeing the Padmacarita published in the Manikchand Granthamala, I initially believed that it had a greater looseness in language compared to Valmiki Ramayana. However, when I compared it with the manuscripts, the pure text came to light, and my belief was eradicated. The poet has done a remarkable job in describing the forest, river, army, and war. The description of Chitrakoot mountain, Ganga river, and seasons like spring, as done by Acharya Ravishena, is not seen even in epics. The introduction is getting lengthy, otherwise, I would have presented all those verses before the readers where the poet's pen has done wonders. After reading Vimal Suri's 'Paumchariy', when we read Ravishena's Padmacarita, it becomes clear how he has made his work so elegant and suitable for poetry.
**This Translation and Acknowledgement**
In the introduction of Mahapurana, I wrote that in the Digambar Jain sect, Mahapurana, Padmapurana, and Harivanshpurana, all three are the crown jewels of Purana literature. While experiencing joy in editing and translating Mahapurana, I had drawn the attention of society towards the editing and publication of the remaining two Puranas. It is a matter of joy that the organizers of the Bharatiya Gyanpeeth liked my point, and they agreed to publish these two Puranas from Gyanpeeth. Pandit Foolchandji, a connoisseur of Jain principles and a compassionate scholar, also drew the attention of the organizers of Gyanpeeth towards this. Therefore, I am very grateful to all these great souls. The editing of the book cannot be done without manuscripts, so I wrote to my fellow scholar friend Pandit Parmanandji Delhi for manuscripts. He brought two manuscripts from the Delhi repositories, one with Shri Chandra's annotations and one from his personal library, 'Paumchariy', and came to Sagar himself. The remaining two manuscripts were also obtained from Bombay and Jaipur, so I am very grateful to those great souls who provided this resource material. I have taken textual variations based on four manuscripts and one printed copy. This time, I had to work alone in taking textual variations, so it took a lot of time and effort. From the beginning to the 28th chapter, I prepared the manuscript of the original verses myself, but due to the strict demand of the authorities of the 'B' manuscript to send it quickly, I had to mark the textual variations of other books on the printed original copy from Manikchand Granthamala. Book editing is a practice of literary service. Scholars can do it according to their convenience, and then someone like me, who has to be constantly involved in many other tasks, takes a little longer. In the meantime, the repeated demand to send it quickly from the authorities of the manuscripts starts to bother. I consider it better if their manuscript is used in the creation of a book rather than being kept in the shelves of Saraswati Bhavan. Thus, I have made full use of the manuscript for the time it was received, and I express my sincere gratitude to the senders and protectors of those manuscripts. The eleventh chapter of Padmacarita is full of philosophical ideas. I did not understand the meaning of three or four verses, which Pandit Foolchandji has explained, so I am grateful to him.
Writing an introduction requires historical knowledge, and I consider myself completely ignorant in this subject. Whatever has been written in the introduction is based on the knowledge of the learned scholar Shri Nathuramji Premi, Bombay.