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CANDRAVEDHYAKA PRAKĪRṆAKA
PUBLISHER'S NOTE
Ardhamagadhi Jaina Agamic literature is a valuable treasure of Indian culture and literature. It is unfortunate that due to the non-availability of suitable translations of these works, both, the laymen as well as the learned scholars were unfamiliar with them. Of these agamic works, the Prakīrņakas have almost been unavailable even though they are of an ancient origin and are predominantly spiritual in their content. We are fortunate that Mahāvīra Jaina Vidyālaya, Mumbai has already published the original texts of these Prakīrṇakas, duly edited by Muni Punya Vijayaji, but in the absence of translations, in modern Indian languages, they were, generally, inaccessible to the lay. It is for this reason that the co-ordination committee of the scholars of Jainology had decided to accord priority to the translation of the canonical texts and their explanatory literature and allotted the task of translating Prakīrņakas to the Agama Samsthāna. The Samsthana has, to date, translated, into Hindi, and published 15 prakīrņakas. This has made these valuable texts available to the inquisitive and desirous readers of the Jaina studies.
However, those western and Indian readers, settled abroad, who do not read and understand Hindi are still deprived of the contents of these enlightening works. We are happy to note that Colonel (Retd.) Dalpat Singh Baya has translated the 'Candravedhyaka Prakirṇaka' into English for the benefit of those readers as well as for those who would enjoy reading them in English as much, if not more, as in Hindi. The exhaustive preface and original text with foot-notes have been taken from
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Jain Education International
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