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JULY, 1972
3. SUDAMSANACARIU of Nayanandi edited by Dr. Hiralal Jain 1970 Pages 48+322: Price 10.60
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Dr. Hiralal Jaina's name is well-known in the world of Jaina scholarship. The institute had the benefit of his Directorship for some time in the past.
His present work is on a didactic Apabhramsa text (Sansk. Sudarsana-carita), of the 11th century A.D., replete with long compounds and rhetorical flourishes reminiscent of the classic model of Bana's 'Kadambari' of the 7th century. The text was written while its author Muni Nayanandi was residing in a Jaina monastery situated in the famous city of Dhara in the Avanti-country (presentday Dhar in WestCentral India) during the reign of the great patron of learning King Bhoja of the Paramar dynasty. The text belongs to the Kathanaka or 'Tales' class of Jaina literature.
Dr. Hiralal subjects the text to a critical analysis on the basis of Mss. material, subject-matter, indebtedness to traditions, relation with other composition of like nature, as well as of its linguistic, stylistic, aesthetic and metrical structure.
Because the hero of the tale is described as having received seductive advances from a number of females which he, however, succeeded in resisting which was necessary to emphasise for serving the didactic purpose the erotic element finds prominence in some descriptions which enhances also the popular attractiveness of the tale, no doubt, for amorous matters have their own appeal to the general public.
A very valuable Hindi rendering of the tale is added by Dr. Hiralal in the work, which one wishes could be further supplemented by an English rendering as well for the benefit of non-Hindi-knowing readers.
A work so competently executed calls for no further comments.
4. A CRITICAL STUDY OF PAUMACARIYAM by Dr. K. R. Chandra 1970 Pages xxviii+641 Price Rs. 21.50.
Judged linguistically, this text is found to belong to a phase of Middle-Indo-Aryan to which a date approximately in the 5th century A.D. is to be assigned, on which ground the claims of those who demanded a much earlier date for it, are to be rejected.
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