Cosmology Old and New

Author(s): G R Jain
Publisher: Bharatiya Gyanpith

Page 11

GENERAL EDITORIAL
(First Edition)
The Bharatiya Jnanpith is a pre-eminent academic institute of our country. It has achieved, during the last quarter of a century, quite worthy results in the field of learned publications in Sanskrit, Pāli, Prākrit, Apabhramsa, Tamil and Kannada. Most of them are equipped with critical Introductions embodying original researches which shed abundant light on many a neglected branch of Indian literature. The number of such publications included in its Mürtidevi and Māpikchand Granthamālās is more than one hundred and fifty. Most of these works are brought to light for the first time, and thus some of them are rescued from oblivion. It has also published in its Lokodaya and Rastra Bharati Series more than three hundred and fifty (above 500 hundred in 1990) titles in Hindi comprising almost all literary forms like novels, poems, short stories, essays, travels, biographies, researches and critical estimates etc. Through these literary pursuits, the Jnanpith aims at giving impetus to creative writings in modern Indian languages. By their quality as well as by their appearance, the Jnanpith publications have won approbation and appreciation everywhere.
The Jnanpith gives, every year, an Award to the outstanding literary work in the various recognised languages of India, which is chosen to be the best creative literary writing of the specific period; and its author gets a prize of rupees one lac (from 25th Award is of 2 lacs) at a festive function.
The Jnanpith, which is so particular about the publication of ancient Indian literature and also in encouraging the progress of modern Indian literature, cannot but take into account the 2500th Nirvana Mahotsava of Bhagavān Mahāvira, one of the greatest sons of India and one of the outstanding humanists the civilised world has ever produced. Naturally, the Jnanpith, amongst its various plans to celebrate the occasion, has under