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GANDAVYUHASUTRA
of the original work, and the latter hyperbolic, some of the frequent terms and phrases being afkornatssrı, 148dfeqvequa, and their synonyms like मेघ, सागर, गङ्गानरीयालकासन. The descriptions of places and persons, the names of Tathagatas anul Bodhisattvas, past, present and future, samadhis and vimoksas, regious aud kalpas referred to in the work, are so vast that the phrase forhofar beyond description" is the only term which correctly characterises the work.
VII
The text as preserved in Mss, or even in the only printed edition is corrupt at places, has numerous lacunae, and although I feel that I have presented in this edition a decidedly better text than one found in any siugle Ms, or in the sole printed edition, there are places where improvement in my text is still not impossible.
This edition is principally based on the only printed edition of the work by Suzuki and Tdzumi, but I was fortunate to discover in the Mss. Library of the Oriental Institute, Baroda, a fine Ms. in Nepalese script (lacsimile of whose first and last pages appears in this volume as frontispiece), which enabled me to improve the text and fill up lacunac in numerous places. Besides, I have improved the punctuation, have separated correctly words, phrases and paragraphs, have added numbers to verses in which respects the printed edition is painfully lacking. I may say, without a grain of boast, that the reader will find the present edition to mark an immense improvenient on the former.
2. The Older Edition
As has been mentioned above, there is only one printed edition of the work available. It was edited by Professors D. T. Suzuki and H. Idzumi, and published by the Society for the Publication of Sacred Books of the World, Kyoto, Japan, 19.19 (referred to as S in margin). This edition is itself a photographic reproduction of a mimeograph copy made by Professor S. Susa in 1929. This edition is based on six Mas., one from the Library of Royal Asiatic Society, London; two from the Cambridge University Library; one from the Bibliothéque nationale, Paris; one from the Library of Tokyo University; and one from Kyoto University Library. Of these six Mss., only one, that from Royal Asiatic Society, London was a palm leaf Ms. dated 286 of
| SR No. | 010189 |
| Book Title | Gandavyuha sutram |
| Original Sutra Author | N/A |
| Author | P L Vaidya |
| Publisher | Mithila Institute Darbhanga |
| Publication Year | 1960 |
| Total Pages | 491 |
| Language | Hindi |
| Classification | Book_Devnagari |
| File Size | 48 MB |