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Preamble
“Ancient Jaina Hymns" is the latest monograph in the Scindia Oriental Series of the Scindia Oriental Institute. The Institute was established by the Gwalior Darbar to foster oriental learning and research in Indology and is now maintained by the Madhya Bharat Government. It has a special library of Samskrta, Pāli, Prākrta, Hindi and Marathi books and valuable manuscripts. Its present Curator Shri S. L. Katre has published numerous research monographs in various learned and research journals. But lack of facilities for publications has prevented most of the research work done at the Institute from coming before the public, and paucity of funds has been responsible for so few publications by it. The Madhya Bharat Government has now undertaken its reorganisation, and it is hoped that before long not only the scope of its work will expand, but also the necessary facilities for the publication of its researches will be made available.
The present work is a scholarly study of ancient Jaina Hymns by the distinguished German Scholar and Orientalist Dr. Charlotte Krause, who has spent over twenty-five years in Madhya Bharat and for a long time carried on her researches under the guidance of the distinguished Jaina Scholar and Saint Sri Muni Vidyāvijayaji of Shivapuri. When the devotees recite the hymns, little do they realise what wealth of historical and geographical facts is hidden in them, and how these hymns can throw light on many obscure problems of history, geography and biography of long forgotten saints and poets. A perusal of the every well written 'Remarks on the Texts' will show how the illuminating analysis and study reveal many hidden facts, which were little known to the ordinary devotee. Scholars now universally realise the need of research in the old sacred literature of the Hindus – especially the
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