Jain Shwetambar Conference Herald 1915 Book 11 Jain Itihas Sahitya Ank

Author(s): Mohanlal Dalichand Desai
Publisher: Jain Shwetambar Conference

Page 39

The date of Siddharshi.
245
FATIT PT which I am editing in the Bl. Ind., has all signs of decaying Prukrit, indeed of such a Prakrit as we do not find in literary documents of the 6th century A. D. Besides in his Saddarsana Samuccaya, hich Dr. Suali edits in the Bibl. Ind. his philosophical terminology (with regard to Nyaya ) is that which came into use after the 6th century. So I regard it as probable that Haribhadra lived in the 9th century. The traditions of the Jains is reliable as far as it treats of members of a gaccha, where there is an established and continuous succesion. But before that period it is groping in the dark, and may not be relied on viz regarding such early writers as Umasvati, Siddhasena, Haribhadra etc.
I think I told you in my last letter that we have a detailed life of Hemacandra in German by the late Buihler so there will be no necessity of his life in English, because all Sanscrit scholars in Europe and America can read German. It is however a pity that Buihler did not write that work in English, because it is a model of erudition and certainly would interest your countrymen and correligionists.
I have no catalogue of Jain books: indeed I expect that you will establish a Jain book Depot in Bombay from which all Jain publications in India might be had. What informa. tion I have, I got from Vakil Keshavlal Premchand of Ahmedabad, who has sent me many interesting works. The energy of the Jains deserves all praise but the effect of it would be still greater, if it were aided by centralised or. ganisation
Yours sincerely, HERMANN JACOBI.
Bombay 11th Aug. 1905. Dear Sir,
In reply to your letter of the 7th July, I have in the first place to express my deep sense of thankfulness for the earnest interest you take in writing letters. The second volume