Apbhramsa of Hemchandracharya

Author(s): Hemchandracharya, Kantilal Baldevram Vyas, Dalsukh Malvania, H C Bhayani
Publisher: Prakrit Text Society Ahmedabad

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historical epic poem, 'Kahnadade Prabandha'. The late Acārya Shri Jinavijayaji, my revered 'guru', suggested that I should, in order to search out fresh Kahnaḍide Prabandha MSS, pay a visit to Patan, where the late Acārya Sri Punyavijayaji, himself a profound scholar of Prakrits and Old Gujarati, and a great authority on 'Agama' (1) Prakrit, was engaged in classifying, cataloguing and studying the innumerable MSS in the worldfamous Jain 'Jñana Bhandaras' at Patan, which are believed preserve no less than 50,000 MSS, some of them having rare literary beauty or great historical importance. My guru, Acarya Śri Jinavijayaji was gracious enough to introduce me to Acarya Śri Punyavijayji, who suggested that I should meet him at Pātaṇ, where in some Jñana Bhaṇḍāra he had noticed some MSS of 'Kahnaḍade Prabandha'. Accordingly, I went to Patan and saw the late Acārya Sri Punyavijayaji sometime in 1943, in search of these Kahnaḍade Prabandha MSS. Acārya Śri Punyavijayaji was then completely engrossed in classifying and cataloguing the MSS, and studying the more noteworthy amongst them-a task which had been so dear to his heart and had almost become a sacred mission of his life. Together we made strenuous efforts to hunt out the 'Kahnaḍade Prabandha' MSS, which he remembered he noticed sometime back in one of the Bhandaras, but we were not successful in our efforts to locate them. He then suggested if I would be interested in any other important works, from amongst those he had already classified and catalogued.
Since I was then engaging the postgraduate students of the Bombay University in the Apabhramśa grammar, which formed the concluding section of Siddha Hemacandra's Eighth Chapter, I requested him to loan me some MSS of Siddha Hema. Adhyāya 8, which he would consider as very authentic and outstandingly useful in the reconstruction of the text. He graciously acceded to my request and gave me 3 excellent MSS of सिद्धहेमचन्द्र, अध्याय ८ and a MS off. All the paper MSS belonged to about the close of the 15th century V.S. A täḍapatra MS (MS D) was sent to me later. It might have, probably, belonged originally to the