Letter

Author(s): A N Upadhye
Publisher: A N Upadhye

Page 1

Pujya Agama Prabhakara Muniraja Sri Punyavijayaji, Pujya Tyagigana, my Brothers and Sisters,
W hen I received the kind invitation of the President of the Shri Jain Atmanand Sabha, Bhavnagar, I did not take much time to decide to accept it and participate in the celebrations of the Diamond Jubilee of this Sabha. I have been requested also to announce the publication of the Dvadasaranayacakra edited by Muni Shri Jambu vijayji Maharaja and published by the Sabha. I am quite aware of my limitations in shouldering this responsibility; still, there are obvious reasons for my readily coming over here.
As a student of Indian literature in general and of Jain literature in particular, I have been always appreciating the publications brought out by this Sabha. Secondly, I am interested in the great work, the Dvadasaranayacakra, which has its own specialities for various reasons. Thirdly, I have great regard for the assiduous änd devoted scholarship of Muni Shri Jambuvijayaji. And lastly, who would not like to come in closer touch with the band of zealous Sravakas wbo are so much interested in the pursuit of learning and piety? * The number of Prakrit and Sanskrit works published by the Sabha is pretty big; and some of them, for instance, the Vasudevahindi, the Brhatkalpabhasya etc., are both unique and of great interest. It is an institution like this which could give necessary "patronage to the publication of works edited by Muni Shri Chaturavijayaji and Punyavijayaji who constitute a composite literary personality. They mark a continuity of scholarship which is quite well-known in Jaina literature as in the case of Virasena, Jinasena and Gunabhadra.
Today there is an urgent need that proper editions of ancient texts and their critical studies should be presented to the world of scholars. In this respect, the ancient Bhandaras like those at Jaisalmer, Pattan, Cambay etc. have rich inss. material. The Mss. need not be looked upon as mere property. In good old days, Mss. were not only preserved but also copied from time to time. I know, there are some monks who would like to copy down old works on palm-leaves even today; but the days of manual copying on large scale are gone for good. We are living in an age of printing, fast printing, indeed. "If the Mss. wealth from Gujarat is to be properly handed down to posterity, we want well trained editors who can methodically