Book Title: Indian Antiquary Vol 59
Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Charles E A W Oldham, S Krishnaswami Aiyangar, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarka
Publisher: Swati Publications
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AUGUST, 1930 ]
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MAHABHARATA : Edition of the Bhandarkar Oriental of more dating of the manuscripts. A fair mixture Research Instituto, Poona. Fasciculos 1, of conservatism and eclecticism is what is actually
adopted, no good reading of good manuscripts 2 and 3.
being rejected. "Interpretation has throughout We are glad to 100 that the edition of the Ma. been given precedence over emendation." In habharata undertaken by the Bhandarkar Oriental tho matter of corrections of soleciams, those for Research Institute, Poona, has begun to issue, which manuscript authority was sound have and we have with us three fascicules of this monu- been allowed to stand in the text. “As a general mental work. The plan of the work, as originally rule, preference is given to a reading which best arranged, was to collate all the available and suggeste how other readings might have arisen. Buthoritative versions, which are indeed very Wher such a reading was not available, the choice many and require very careful and elaborate fell upon one which is common to (what prima collation. A full introduction, giving a comprehen facio appeared to be more or less independent sive account of the manuacript material and versions and which is supported by intrinsic prodiscussing the principles of textual criticism bability; the presumption of originality in such adopted, is intended to be issued at the end of the cases is frequently confirmed by a lack of definite first section of the work, the Adiparap. The agreement between the discordant versions." first fascicule is preceded, however, by a few general This edition of the Mahabhdrata, if it does not observations on the growth of the texte, giving achieve at once the perfection of an authoritative & comparatively briof conspectus of the manuscript text, takee us, at any rate, a long way towards material used for the present edition. The manuscripts used come from all over the country
The printing and the get-up are very good, as and naturally fall into a number of classes, each
was to be expected of the Nirnaya Sagara press. clans having characteristics of its own. The editor
It redounds to the credit of the editorial staff that dividoe these into a Northern and Southern ver
few errors are discoverable. The edition is prosion. Among the Northern are included the KAmiri,
vided with a few illustrations, due both to the of which eight manuscripts have been compared, one
ability and the labour of the enlightened Chief of Maithilf from North Bihar; four from Bengal and one
Aundh; and very creditable they are, both in regard from Indore. One from Mysore, about twenty
to choice and achievement. We congratulate the from Tanjore, about six from Poona, four in
organization upon their success. It is already MalayAlam and four from Mysore constitute the
beginning to earn very good opinions from scholars, Southern, and all these have been compared so far.
and it is to be hoped that it will receive adequate These are in a variety of scripta-Devanagari, with ite numerous varieties, Telugu, Granthe, and
public support to enable the organization to Malayalam. In a general classification of these,
carry on the work to completion. the arch type is the Kasmirf version, to which
8. K. AIYANGAB. other DevAnagri versions get collated. From this as a basis the elaboration into the various other versions is discussed, and the character of these
THE MARATHA RAJAS OF TANJORE, by K. R. inflations is said to be more or less due to the SUBRAMANIAN, M.A., Lecturer in History, Mahetendency to elaborate the account already given,
raja's College, Vizianagram, with a foreword by and the portions that can thus be marked out Mr. P. T. Srinivasa Aiyangar, Reader in History, can safely be omitted as spurious, or later Additions,
Madras University. Published by the author. where there is not much manuscript support; otherwise the discovery of a principle on which
Price Ro. 1. these can be rejected is recognised to be a matter No history of India would be complete if it were of difficulty.
not based on full ard satisfactory local histories. One other important point is that there is a con
A study of the political map of India shows
different states, each active in some epoch or siderable amount of agreement between the Kasmiri
other, and consequently enriching the political versions and the Southern, so that the inference
and cultural history of the land. An attempt seems possible that they were originally based on
has not yet been made to study the local game texte. In some respects the Bengali
history of innumerable small states, whioh have versions show the smallest addition, and they may
contributed to the sum total of Indian History. perhape be regarded as having suffered the least
In the history of South India, no kingdom has from interpolations.
been more prominent than the small state of Tanjore, The principle adopted in the choice of the texts which was ruled at different times by different is not a question of the arithmetical majority, dynasties. The Cholas, the Nayaks, the Marathis nor is it on any other casier principle of the basis I have been ite rulers. In this monograph Mr.
