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18
Contribution of Jainas to Sanskrit and Prakrit Literature
And for भाग्यायत्तं etc. he has a ft. note where he reads दैवाधीनमतः परं न खलु तत्स्त्रीबन्धुभिर्याच्यते ।
This verse has been read as IV-16, 17, 18 and 19 by different editors. HC's प्रेमप्रवृत्ति does not find favour with any, nor his भाग्याधीनं nor स्त्रीबन्धुभिर्याच्यते । which is mentioned in a ft. note by Dr. Rewaprasad, who also offers 'caneta' in the ft. note.
An intensive examination of only five verses from Abh. Śā. shows how different editors have selected their variants without any rhyme or rhythm and one and the same verse is shown in a different order by them. We have also seen how writers on alamkāra and their commentators have cited these verses from Kālidāsa and how they differ in giving different variants.
Our sole purpose is to bring home only one point viz. that the task of text-editing in case of the works of Kālidāsa is stupendous and attains staggering proportions when we consult the alamkāra works, which represent much older traditions. All these have to be taken into account before fixing up any variant and not a single ms. should be taken as useless. The task is truly a 'Mahābhārata' task. Preparing text-critical editions of the works of Kālidāsa requires as much inspiration, insight application and perspiration as in case of the Mahābhārata or the Rāmāyana. Perhaps, the L. D. Institute of Indology, with co-operation from scholars all over the world is in a mood to take up this challenge.
Annotations
1.
Total number of mss. on different works are as below: 22 on Meghadūta. 35 on Raghuvamśa. & 40 on Kumārasambhava.
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