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Shri Mahavir Jain Aradhana Kendra
www.kobatirth.org
Acharya Shri Kailassagarsuri Gyanmandir
PREFACE
The project of preparing and publishing a compre- a Dictionary of Frakrits'. This Note was widely circubensive dictionary of the Prakrit languages, mainly lated among Indian and foreign scholars interested in based on the extensive Jain literature in Prakrit, was Prakrit studies, in order to elicit their opinions and first thought of by Shri N. K. Firodia, Chairman of the suggestions. The plan also rougbly indicated the time Sapmati-Teerth, an academic institute newly started required for the completion of the work : three to four by a group of Jains in Pune city, with the inten- years for the collection of material and about ten years tion of promoting Prakrit studies, which were generally for the preparation and publication of the dictionary in neglected so far. They approached me in connection about three volumes. It was pointed out that, like with the planning of the academic work of the Institute. other works of similar nature, the dictionary would be A meeting was held in Poona for this purpose at the published in the form of fascicules. end of 1986, and, out of the two essential requirements of Prakrit studies, namely, a detailed comparative gra- For the implementation of the Project, & small mmar of all the Prakrit languages and a comprehensive unit of workers was set up at the Institute, which and critical dictionary, the latter was chosen for early consisted, besides the General Editor, of three to four execution, because of its greater necessity and useful- editorial assistants, and the extraction of words from the Dess. During the last fifty years, the urgency of such Prakrit works was carried on with their help. An ina work was often voiced in various seminars and confer- dependent library unit was also created, most of the ences, and the Prakrit Text Society also had thought of books having been taken from the library of the such a plan. But no adequate arrangment could be made Institute. Additional books were borrowed from other to bring such a project in practice.
libraries in Poona, some were purchased, a few wore got
xeroxed, and some were donated to the project. At The authorities of the Sanmati-Teerth asked me to
present there are about 500 original works in the undertake the work of planning and executing this dic
library of the Project, which are used for extraction of tionary-project, which made it necessary for me to come
material, and about 300 secondary works dealing with the to Poona from my native place, a small village in the
Prakrit languages and Jain literature, religion, philosophy district of Kolhapur where I bad lived since my retire
and a few other related topics. It is felt that this ment as the Chief Editor of the Sanskrit Dictionary
collection will be adequate for the dictionary, and the Project of the Deccan College Post-graduate and Research
addition of recent publications will be continued. Institute, Poona, in 1983. To avoid delay, it was also thought necessary to establish and locate the project
After the extraction of material bad reached an at the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, Poona, advanced stage and the excerpts had reached the number because of its reputation as one of the foremost losti- of four lakhs, the material was alphabetized and made tutes working in the field of Indological studies and ready for the editorial work. Also because of its excellent library and press facilities. With a view to enabling the Bhandarkar Institute to In 1989 a detailed questionnaire on some 80 spoclundertake the project, Shri N. K. Firodia, Chairman of fic points pertaining to 11 main aspects of the mechanism the Sanmati-Teerth, made to the Institute an initial grant of dictionary-making was prepared and circulated among of Rs. five lakhs for this purpose.
Prakrit scholars in India and outside, and a fairly good Accordingly the work on the project was begun at
response was received particularly from foroiga scholars
showing keen interest in such a work. the Institute on the 1st of April 1987, when I came to
In 1991, A
specimen forme of eight pages was prepared and again Poona, and took charge as Honorary General Editor of
circulated among scholars. The numerous suggestions the Dictionary.
thereby received having been duly taken into account, A detailed plan of the proposed dictionary indicat. the methodology of the dictionary was finalised. The ing the nature and scope of the work, the method to actual printing of the dictionary was begun in April be adopted for its implementation, the problems involved 1992, and the first fascicule of the dictionary containing in it, and other relevant matters was prepared and in- detailed introduction and the DOCONSAry Ancillary corporated into A Note on the Nature and Scope of material is now being published.
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