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studied critically, and in a few cases for the first time; good many new facts are brought to light; and note-worthy conclusions have been arrived at after correlating the old and the new material.
The Mss. material and the method adopted in constituting the text are described in detail. If I appear over-conservative in following the material supplied by the Mss., I hope, I have erred on the safer side. It would be a dis-advantageous step, somewhat unfair to the author, in our pursuit of reaching a really critical text that an editor of an editio princeps should silently correct the text, without Ms. evidence, according to his understanding of the grammatical standard. Whenever an emendation, probably lying at the basis of various apparently corrupt readings seen in the Mss., occurred to me, I have noted it either in square-brackets in the foot-notes or in the Notes at the end. Obviously they are all tentative, till they are confirmed by new material. The Notes include, besides textual emendations and peculiarities, many important details on which some of the conclusions in the Introduction are based.
The University of Bombay very kindly awarded me the Springer Research Scholarship; and I feel happy to record that, during the tenure of the Scholarship, I was able to contribute not only a number of papers connected with Prakrit literature and language but also to complete this edition of the Kathakośą with its Introduction.
It is a matter of pleasure to look back on the last few years and remember with gratitude the kindly aid of so many friends and colleagues. I owe important suggestions, references, information and material to my various friends: Pt. K. P. Jaina, Aliganj; Pt. Bhanwar Lal Nyayatirtha, Jaipur; Prof. Hiralalaji Jaina, Amraoti; Mr. P. K. Gode, Poona; Prof. H. D. Velankar, Bombay; Prof. K. G. Kundangar, Kolhapur; Pt. Jugal Kishore, Sarsawa; Dr. A. M. Ghatage, Kolhapur; Mr. R. S. Panchamukhi, Dharwar : to all these scholars I offer my sincere thanks. I am very thankful to my friend Mr. K. J. Dixit B. A., B. T., Sangli, who carefully read the text and offered some valuable suggestions which I have included in my Notes.
Pt. Nathuram Premi's name deserves to be closely associated with this edition. It was at his suggestion that I undertook it; almost with a personal affection he watched and encouraged my studies of this Kathakośa; and perhaps this work would not have seen the light of day but for his kind interest. I record my sense of gratitude to Sriman Babu Bahadur Singhji Singhi, the noble founder of the stately Singhi Jaina Series in which my edition of the Bṛhat Kathakosa has been so kindly included; and to Acharya Śrī Jinavijayaji, the able Director and gifted Editor of the Series, with whom it is a pleasure to collaborate in academic pursuits and whose encouragement, co-operation and lavish supply of inaccessible books have greatly facilitated my work.
I have to acknowledge my indebtedness to the University of Bombay for the substantial financial help it has granted towards the cost of the publication of this book.
karmanyevadhikaras te:
Rajaram College, Kolhapur. December, 1942.
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