Indian Antiquary Vol 52

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Stephen Meredyth Edwardes, Krishnaswami Aiyangar
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 405

DECEMBER, 1923 ]
BOOK-NOTICES
375
of the somewhat different form of the preposition having regard to the magnitude of the work and odhi in this epigraph. He also appears to be the resources, material and mental, that it neces. unaware of the fact that Sihd (Sanskrit Sinha) sarily calls forth for its successful completion, as the name of a nun or laywoman is very frequently it would be a great pity if at this stage anything met with in early Prakpit inscriptions ; cf. for should come in the way of gathering all the resourexample, Sanchi inscriptions in the Epigraphia ces together with a view to a singlo edition, Indica, vol. II, p. 112, Inscription No. 18: p. 379. leaving the question of an authoritative southern No. 212; and p. 394, No. 358.
recension aside for the while. There seems to be P. 152, u. 2-4.Mr. Bhattacharya states that good prospect of such a combination of the two "As the inscription of Kumaragupta recently found projects, and we hope that this would come about at SarnAth has not yet been published for the and accelerate the pace of work, so that this vast general publie, it is not noticed in his book." The enterprise may reach its completion, while those Hindi Guido being reviewed in these notes was engaged in the work are yet alive and active. It published in Vikrama Samvat 1979, 6.6., only as is therefore matter for special gratification that few months ago, and all the three inscriptions of the work should have advanced 80 far satisKumâragupta and Budbagupta excavated by Mr. factorily that we have before us an edition, tenHargreaves in 1914-15 were duly published by the tative though it be, of one parvan at least, so that explorer in the Director-General of Archaeology's those interested may know how exactly the work Annual Report for 1914-15, Pt. II, and discussed is being carried on, and as giving an earnest of at greater length by Mr. Panna Lall, 1.0.8., the possible completion of the work to those who in his paper, " The dates of Skandagupta and exhibited their sympathy for the enterprise by his successors" in the Hindustan Review for substantial grants of money for the work. January 1918.
The Mahabharata is a work, as is well-known, P. 152, 11. 15-18. The text of the inscription on which in some recensions runs to 125,000 verses and D ) 69 quoted by Mr. Bhattacharya contains in others, which perhaps may be regarded as closer several mistakes.
to the original, to more than 85,000 verses, with DAYA RAM SAHNI. out the Harivamsa. It is available in something
like 1,200 manuscripts, which have all to be col. A NEW AND CRITICAL EDITION OF THE MAHA
lected and collated before anything like an edition BHARATA.
of an authoritative character could be attempted. It is almost five years since the Bandharkar All the 1,200 manuscripts are not all of them comOriental Research Institute of Poona, following plete, and being in parts reduces a great deal the lead given by the talented and liberal minded the magnitude of numbers. Even so we get to nobleman of Bombay, the Pant Prathinidhi of
an average of about 64 for each separato paruan Aundh, undertook an All-India critical edition
of the work. The part of the work befowe us is of the Mahabharata. An edition of the Maha.
based on more than half a dozen published edi. bharala is, on the fade of its a very large venture, tions and 16 manuscripts, of which 12 are classe and the undertaking by the Institute of its publi. as containing the northern version, and 4 the cation in critical edition must have appeared southern, of which one is in Grantha characters to people at the time a bold venture on the part with its provenance chiefly in the Tamil country, of the Institute, having regard to all the implica
one in Telugu and two in Malayalam characters. tions of a scheme of that magnitude. It is matter of the twelve northern manuscripts, one is in for great gratification that a large scheme like Bengaleo and the remaining eleven in Old and that should have been put in hand, and earnestly i New Nagari, having come from various localities, and enthusiastically carried so far forward as
so that the number of manuscripta though small to give us a tentative edition of the Vindfaparan is of wide geographical distribution and is of a on lines of modern criticism acceptable to Oriental
very representative character. The earliest of Boholars, Eastern and Western. It is almost these manuscripts go down to the days of the a quarter of a century since an edition of Mahd. Vijayanagar Emperor Dêvarêya II, i.e., about bharata was projected in Europe, and that on 500 years since, and are based entirely upon macloser examination limited itself to an edition terial far older still. These manuscripts fall into only of the southern recension of the great work, separate well-defined groups and are actually and even so the advance that has been made is, arranged in ton groups by the editor. With this for very satisfactory reasons, undoubtedly not variety of texts both published and manuscript much although it was feared at the time that this before him the editor's work becomes somewhat project was being discussed whether the two difficult and puzzling unless he could proceed on schemes would not prove to be a needless duplica- definite principle in regard to the choice of the tion of resources. As far as it is known at present, texts. The supreme need in such cases is the the need for an authoritative southern recension has recovery of the texts as used by a commentator not ceased to be of foree. But at the same time of standing and reputation, or something similar