________________
292
Shri Jaina Conference Herald.
what immense treasures of learning, and of attractive poetry and of sound morals are stored up in their old literature. The shri Jaina Shvetambara Conference at Bombay has edited its very useful sa sigrast, which together with Weber's Berlin catalogue, with Bhandarkar's Poona catalogue with the different Poona reports, with the Calcutta catalogue and with Guerinot's Bibliographie 'aflords a most valuable basis for fur. ther research. Pandit Shravak Hiralal Hamsaraj in Jamnagar and the shri Jain Dharın vidya prasarak varg in Palitana, and before all the splendid Shri Yashovijay Jain Granth mala one of the finest Sanskrit and Prakrit Series of India are eagerly publishing most valuable works. His Holiness Shastravisharada Jain Acharya shri Dharnavijayaji Suri, one of the greatest scholars of India, the founder of shri Yushovijaya Pathshala in Benares, not only does the greatest service to Indian philology by having published, through his learned pupils Hargovinddas and Bechardas, most important works at a very low price, but is publishing him. self works like his excellent edition of Hemachandra's Yogashastra together with the acharya's own commentary and what is most valuable and far sighted-hə provides European scholars intersted in the study of the civilisation, and specially of the literature, of the Jains with Mss. as well as with informations which it would be quite impossible to procure in Europe. And so does liis worthy head pupil, Muni Indra vijayaji. In vol xii of the Harvard Oriental Series I was very glad to state what I owe to these eminent scholars, and if I am able to continue my studies in Indian narrative literature and to show, that almost all the story literature of India proper belongs to the Jainas, and that this literature is composed, as far as it is written in prose, in truly spoken Sanskrit, in a langurge the character of which is strangely misunderstood, and the study of which is unduly neglected by the scholars, I always shall gratefully acknowle. dge the fact that most important materials for my work have been forwarded to me by these two excellent men. • As you will see from the preface to vol. rij of Harvard