________________
Introduction
I. The Manuscript Our ‘Näsaketari Kathā' is contained in the manuscript fully described by Hertel on p. 51 f. of his 'Pañcatantra' : I refer to this description more essentially, as I have not been able to see the manuscripts myself. My text is edited from an earlier copy of the original, made by Professor Hertel, and kindly placed at my disposal.
The colophon runs as follows: "Written by Sivavarddhana in Jaitārana, on the first day of the dark fortnight of Bhādra, of the samvat-year 1786", i.e., in August-September 1729 A.D. The situation of Jaitāraṇa, even if known, could not help to define the home of the copyist, as the latter was ( see Hertel 1.c.) a Jaina monk, and Jaina monks are known to migrate from place to place. Śivavarddhana's colophons of our Nāsaketarī Kathā, of 'Hitopadeśapañcākhyāna' (cp. Hertel 1.c. ), of Suvābahuttari Kathā ( cp. Hertel, 'Festschrift fur E. Windisch', Leipzig 1914, p. 138 ff.) and other texts, show two grammatical peculiarities also characteristic of the language of the text itself, and therefore treated below (p. 4): viz. the genitive in -ro, -rī, and the third person pres. indic. of the verb substantive chai.
The spelling shows the manner common to devanāgarī manuscripts of modern vernacular texts coming from North-Western India : the old compound letters are generally avoided; virāma is never written (cp. spellings as hoya, asatari, aganaparasaņa, vanāsapati etc., and see p. IX and X; vocalic ? replaced by vowel +r, or r+ vowel; anusvāra used to mark the different nasal consonants as well as vowel-nasalizations, and often put without having any etymological value ( cp. spellings as Uravarsi, addhisko ). Other peculiarities are : the use of for and G; of a fora and (cp. Hertel, 'Indische Erzāhler' VI, p. 185, note I ); of a different type for 3 (
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
