Bruhat Katha kosha

Author(s): Harishen Acharya,
Publisher: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan

Page 20

[A91
As Babu Bahadur Singhji Singhi, the noble founder and the only patron of the Series, has placed the whole responsibility of the Series on me from its inception, he has the only right to expect that more and more works may more speedily and splendidly be published. I have neither seen nor come across any other gentleman who can match with him as regards generosity and unbounded zeal for the revival of ancient literature. After the works of the Series he has spent through me about more than 50,000 rupees till now. But he has not even once asked me, during this long period of a dozen of years, as to how and for what works the amount was spent. Whenever the account was submitted to him, he did not ask for even the least information and sanctioned it casting merely a formal glance on the account sheets. But he discussed very minutely the details regarding things such as the paper, types, printing, binding, get-up, etc. as well as internal subjects like Preface and others, and occasionally gives very useful suggetions thereon with deep interest. His only desire being to see the publications of as many works as possible in his life-time, he is always ready to spend as much, after it, as required. He does not labour under a delusion that the things should be done in this or that way when he is no more.
As these were his ideas and desires concerning the Series and as the
sses leaves me all the more convinced of the fickleness of my advanced life too, it was imperative for us to draw out a scheme of its future programme and management. Just at this time a desire dawned in the heart of Munshiji, to the effect that if the Singhi Jain Series be associated with the Bhāratiya Vidya Bhavan, both the institutions would not only be admirably progressing but the Series would get permanence and the Bhavan, unique honour and fame by its hereby becoming an important centre for the studies of Jain culture and the publication of Jain literature. This well-intentioned desire of Munshiji was much liked by me and I conveyed it in a proper form to Singhiji who is, besides his being a founder-member of the Bhavan, also an intimate friend of Munshiji since long. Eventually he welcomed this idea of Munshiji. I also came to a final decision of associating the Series with the Bhavan, having consulted my most sincere friend, life-long companion and co-worker, Pt. Sukhlalji, who is a well-wisher and an active inspirer of the Series, and who is also an esteemed friend of Babu Bahadur Singhji. Luckily we all four met in Bombay in the bright half of the last Vaisakh
spicious day we all sat together and unanimously resolved, at the residence of Munshiji, to entrust the Series to the Bhavan.
According to that resolution, the publication of the Series starts with this work under the management of the Bhāratiya Vidyā Bhavan and the office of the Series is also permanently located now in the building of the Bhavan.
In addition to transfering all sorts of copyright of the Series, Singhiji has also donated a liberal sum of 10,000 rupees which will be spent