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छन्दोऽनुशासनम् । posed their Sandhibandha Kāvyas in the form of the Caritas and the Purānas, when Hemacandra had himself started the ball rolling by composing in that language and thus giving a sort of authoritative sanction to its respectability. The existence of stray poetry and of short lyrics in the language during the period intervening between Hemacandra and Ratna śekhara must also be conceded on the strength of what we learn about the Apabhraṁsa metres from the Chandahkośa and the Prākrta Paingala. Strophic couplets for which the Prākrit and Apabhramśa poets have shown a predilection from very early times, still continued and perhaps multiplied. Short poems on different occasions like marriage and installation of images must have still continued to be composed under different names and forms like Carcari, Fāgu, Caupai and Rāsa, and gradually, and without even being noticed, Apabhraíśa poetry became evolved and transformed into poetry of regional languages like the early Gujrāti, early Rājasthāni, early Marāthi and early Hindi.
38. The present edition of the Chandonusāsana is based upon the material given below, most of which I have received from the two great Jain scholar Munis, Shri Punyavijayaji and Shri Jinavijayaji, whose names are very well known in the world of scholars. I feel deeply obliged to both and particularly to Muni Shri Jinavijayaji for agreeing to publish this work in the Singhi Jain Series. I also sincerely thank all others who have obliged me in one way or the other in preparing this edition. A: 104 x 41 inches; foll. 63, 15 lines to a page and dated
Sam. 1664. The ms. is rather carelessly written, but contains the whole work and belongs to the Hemacandra
Jñānabhandāra, Patan, No. 90/2305 B: 9x 32 inches ; foll. 82 with 14 lines to a page. The ms.
is from the same Bhandāra as above; it is complete and
contains a few good marginal notes in Sanskrit. Its . number is 210/9867. C: 101 x 41 inches; foll. 2 to 41 with about 20 lines to a
page. The ms. is from the same Bhandāra as above;
No. 186/7227. D: 10 x 41 inches ; foll. 65 and about 14 lines to a page. The
ms. belongs to the Bombay University and is complete.
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