Padmanandi Panchvinshti

SR No.: 020961
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Balchandra Siddhantshastri
Publisher: Jain Sanskruti Samrakshak Sangh
Publication Year: 2001
Total Pages: 359
Language: Sanskrit
Classification: Book_Devnagari
File Size: 9 MB

Page 11

INTRODUCTION
1. PADMANANDI-PAÑOAVIMŠATI : TITLE & TEXT
The present edition of the Padmanandi-pañcaviṁsatih (PP), 'A Collection of Twenty-five Texts’, is a decided improvement on its earlier editions, because some independent Mss. have been collated (see the Hindi Introduction for their detailed description), the available Sanskrit commentary is added along with the text, and a carefully prepared Hindi anuvāda, along with bhāvārtha, is also given.
The Pp is a suitable title given to a collection of texts which comprises some twentyfive small and big works of the prakarana type, each of which deals with some religious or didactic topic, not necessarily connected with the preceding or the following prakarana. Each prakarana has a title of its own which at times indicates the contents (as in I, II, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XII, XIII, XIV, XV, XVI, XVIII and XXI) and at times contents as well as the number of verses in it (as in III, IV, V, XI, XVII, XIX, XX, XXII, XXIII, XXIV, XXV and XXVI). Usually each one has a mangala and is duly rounded at the close. Most of them are religio-didactic a few of them are hymnal or nearly hymnal (VIII, IX, XIII-XVIII, XX and XXI) and ritualistic (XIX) in character and coming in a group as it were. Excepting two prakarancs (XIII & XIV), which are hymns or prayers in Prākrit gâthās, addressed to Rşabha and Jinavara, all others are in Sanskrit in long and short metres (see the table at the end).
This collective title, Pp, is found in many Mss., both in the north and south. It is obvious that one more prakarana, perhaps the last one, has been added later with the result that in this collection there are twenty-six texts, though it is called pañcavimsatiḥ in the colophon of the Sanskrit Commentary. There are reasons to believe that all these prakaranas were, to begin with, independent texts, before they were put together under a common title. First, there are available separate Mss, of most of these individual works,' in some cases accompanied by Kannada commentary as well. Secondly, each text is quite an independent unit, having hardly any connection with the earlier or the following section. Thirdly, the same topic is found discussed in more than one prakarana. Ordinarily, this is not likely, if the author 1) H. D. VELANKAR: Jina-rainakosa (Poona 1944) p. 233; K. B. SHASTRI Kannada-prantiya
tādapatriya Grantha-suci (Banaras 1948), pp. 52, 209. 2) H. D. VBLANKAB : Ibid, pp. 197, 172, 7, 61, 317, 56, 180, 438, 34, 412, 215, 286, 59, 136, 398
458, 445, 381, 135, 68, 96, 61, 238, 378, 456, and 286; also K B. SHASTRI: Ibidem p. 319.