Lilavai

SR No.: 002796
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: A N Upadhye
Publisher: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan
Publication Year: 1966
Total Pages: 500
Language: Sanskrit, Hindi, English
Classification: Book_Devnagari & Literature
File Size: 15 MB

Page 20

GENERAL EDITOR'S PREFACE
It gives me immense pleasure in presenting to the world of scholars this characteristic Prākrit Tale, Līlāvai by name, as the thirty-first volume of the Singhi Jain Series. The Jaina narrative literature in Präkrit is very extensive and rich; its extent and wealth are superlatively outstanding even when compared with the entire range of narrative tales in Sanskrit; but the number of narrative poems of the high literary standard of Lilāvati in it is almost negligible, if rot nil. The Jaina narrative works in Prākrit have a dignity of their own by virtue of their plots and contents, but the outflow of flavours of ornate poetry is not quite abundant there. We do not possess today any Jaina Mahākāvya in Prakrit which by its contents and sentiments conforms to the definitions and conventions laid down by eminent poeticians Like Bhāmaha and Dandin. As yet we are not aware of any Jaina Mahākávya in Prakrit of the literary standard of the elaborate Kavya, the Rāvanavaho or Setubandha of Pravarasena and the most outstanding Prakrit Mahäkävya, the Gaudavaho of the royal poet Vakpati. It is evident from literary references that in the past were composed many Prākrit Kavyas of this category, but most of them are lost in the engulfing abyss of time, almost beyond recovery. Out of this lot, the unique poems of Pravarasena and Väkpati as well as this (Līlāvati) of Kutühala, the son of Bhūşanabhatta, have survived through our sheer good luck. Both the Mahakāvyas, Rāvanavaho and Gaüqavaho, have been quite famous from early times; and scholars are well acquainted with them from references to and quotations from them in various works: so it was in the fitness of things that these two texts were printed and published quite early. But the present poem, Lilavai Kaha, however, could not see the light of day upto this time: it was eagerly awaiting as it were its uddhāraka, the critical editor, namely Dr. Upadhye.
This Līlāvai Kahā was casually noticed for the first time by our late lamented learned friend Sri Chimanlal Dalal, the organiser and the first General Editor of the Gaekwad's Oriental Series, in his Gujarati Report, which he prepared in 1914, on the Jaina Bhandāras at Pattan under the behest of that great patron of learning, the late Mahārājā Sri Sayājīrão Gaekwad of Baroda. It was his ardent desire to bring this poem to light; and he had mentioned this to me more than once. After his sad demise, while I was organising the publication of Singhi Jaina Granthamālā, I went to Pattan in 1931-32 and had the occasion of seeing there the old palm leaf MS. of the Lilāvai well preserved in the famous Sanghavi Padā Bhandara. Arrangements were made for its transcript. But my hands being heavily occupied with the simultaneous editing and publishing of many works of the Granthamāla, I could not divert my specific attention to its transcripts etc.
When, in 1940, my beloved friend Dr. Upadhye expressed his desire to edit this poem, I felt very happy; and I decided to present this Prākrit Mahākāvya with its Sanskrit commentary by an anonymous Jaina author, edited by him, as a precious jewel in the necklace of our Granthamālā. The brilliant outcome of all this is now in the hands of the learned. The various problems that could be expected in connection with the internal and external study of Līlāvāi has been fully and ably discussed by Dr. Upadhye in his thorough, elegant and authoritative Introduction
My relations with Dr. Upadhye have been of very close attachment. Naturally I feel diffident in commending here his outstanding scholarship in his subjects and his painstaking habits and steady labours. I wish to add only this much here that I know no other and more suitable scholar, who is an ardent devotee of Prakrit literature and has a deep insight into the study of Prākrit languages, than Dr. Upadhye, for editing this poem.
Professor Upadhye occupies a frontrank position among the living Prākrit scholars of our land. The active scholars already know him very well by his learned editions