Indian Antiquary Vol 31

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 10

6
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[JANUARY, 1902.
the case with regard to the adhyáyus given by the parvusangraha and the ndgari-recension examined, by Burnell (Aindra school, p. 77). Respecting the number of chapters, the Vulgata stands between the parvasashgraha and the last mentioned recension, as will be seen by the following synopsis :Book Parvanaingraba. Caloutta ed.
Nigart-rec 227 234
250 78 . 79
111 314
I.
iv.
197
200
VI. VII.
119
VIII.
IX.
XI. XII.
364
252
XIII, XIV.
105
XY.
1,917
2,096
2,255
The most interesting item of this table is furnished by the comparison of the figures relating to the XIV th book. Here the Vulgata is short of 11 chapters with respect to the paroasengraha, whereas a South-Indian manuscript gives 116 chapters to the same book, a cireumstance mentioned by Pandit V. §. Islâmpurkar in bis edition of the Pardbara Smrti (Vol. I., Part I., Pref. p. 8; cf. Barth, Journ. d. Sav., 1897, p. 19). There are found in this work a number of quotations drawn from the Mahabharata which the learned editor was unable to trace in the printed editions, and for that reason he feels compelled to agree with Burnell, in whose opinion the Northern recension, wbich alone has been published, is the shorter one (ibidem, Part II., pp. 5,9).
It is to be regretted that the South Indian manuscripts have as yet not been thoroughly examined. Burnell gives only the number of chapters of a Grantha recension, but his figures, vis., 248, 120, 302, representing respectively the number of adhydyas of the first second and third book, do not agree with those found by Winternitz (Ind. Ant., 1898, P. 124) in another Granths manuscript, diz.. 218, 72, 269; the last of which is identical with that of the Parvasasigraha of the Northern recension. Moreover, we are not informed by Burnell, whether his figures are real ones or simply found in the Parvasaugraha. These discrepancies, assuredly, do not strengthen the hypothesis of an uniform tradition in the South.
The only parvan of the Southern recension to which a little more attention has been paid, is the Adiparvan, and it is certainly noteworthy that Burnell (Aindra school, p. 79) agrees with Winternite in stating that the Southern form of this book is shorter than the text furnished by the printed editions. But are we justified in drawing inferences from this fact, as has been done by Winternite ?
In South Indian manuoript, examined by Winternita (...), the same book numbers only 78 chapters.