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Grammar
Author - Regarding the authorship of the Dhundhikā considerable
doubt still exists. Many Mss. ascribe it to Hemacandra himself and it is so given in the Catalogus Catalogorum and other Reports. This is probably an error. True, the name of Hemacandra occurs in the Colophons of this as well as others Mss.; but it is as an author of the Brhadvrtti and not directly of the Dhundhikā itself. The name of the commentary is equally open to doubt. In the present Ms. the work is called either Avacūrikā or Vivarana, while the left hand margin of each leaf gives the name to co go. Besides this we have other Mss. going by the name Dhundhikä and occasionally calling themselves such or अवचूर्णिका, लघुवृत्त्यवचूरिका etc. On comparison all these Mss. agree in most respects, the only difference being a more amplified or a curtailed quotation and explanation of Sūtras quoted for purposes of reference. One of these Mss. called both Dipikā or Dhundhikā, and agreeing with most of these in contents is definitely assigned to Srijipasāgarasūri, and it is very probable that most of the works calling themselves Dhundhikā or some times Avacūrikā are his work directly or indirectly. None of the Mss. hitherto known carry the work beyond Adhyâya V. There is a Ms, also called Laghuvíttyavacūrikā which confines itself to Adhyāyas VI and VII only; but this Ms. is definitely ascribed to Dhancandra. He may have
completed the work left incomplete by his predecessor. Subject - The object of these so called Dhundhikās is to take the
various Sūtras in order, to explain them word by word, and in the majority of cases to quote instances of its application step by step by the help of other preceding
sūtras. Begins - U PUTAT RATEHTÄTENTIE II 9 gol 97 alá grafar gret
द्यर्थमिति प्रः क्वचित् । डथ० अ० डित्यंतस्वरादेः । आलोप्रणमः । प्रव्हत्वे णम् पाठे नम्। धातो. पूजार्थ० प्रपू० प्रणमनं पूर्व प्रणम्य प्राक्काले क्त्वा ॥ etc. The various colophons found in the Mss. are : 8a- इत्याचार्यश्रीहेमचंद्रविरचितायां बृहद्वृत्तौ प्रथमस्याध्यायस्य प्रथमः
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