________________ INTRODUCTION Ι SUMMARY OF THE CONTENTS OF THE ABHIDHARMA-DIPA The palm-leaf manuscript of the Abhidharma-dipa was discovered in Tibet by Pandit Rahula Sanktityayana in the year 1937. He brought the photographs of this manuscript, which are preserved in the Bihar Research Society, Patna. As the original MS. is not available to us, our only guide about it are the notes made by the discoverer. In his article Second search of Sanskrit Palm-leaf MSS. in Tibet', 1 he notes the following details : "Discovered in Shalu monastery, Abhidharma-pradipa, Sarada script, size 22" x 2", leaves 63, 9 lines in each side of leaf, incomplete. Begins 'svasti, namah sarvajnaya. Yo-duhkha-hetu-vyupasantimargam.......' From leaves 1 to 150, following 84 are missing : 2-30, 40, 46, 48, 50-52, : 54-81, 83-90, 119-125, 127-129, 131-133, 138, 140, 145, 147, 149. Every chapteri has four padas. The Third pada of the eighth (perhaps the last) ends at 150b. The whole book contained not more than 160 leaves ***....99 The numbers of the missing leaves as well as the title of the book given by the discoverer need correction. After arranging the leaves in proper order, we find the following 88 folios missing : 2-30, 40, 46, 48, 52-79, 118-125, 127, 129, 131-3, 138, 140, 145 and 147. The last folio is numbered 150. Thus out of 150, only 62 folios have come down to us. The name of the MS. given on the label of the photographs is Abhidharma-pradipa. However, the MS. contains two works, viz., the metrical Abhidharma-dipa and a prose commentary on it known as the Vibhashaprabha-vritti. The original work is called Abhidharma-dipa.? The author of this is referred to as Dipakara." At the end of each chapter (Adhyaya) and 1. JBORS, XXIII, 1, 1937, p. 35. 2. See Ad, karika 1. 3. See Adv. p. 169.
