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and the pictures in German and English at his own expense. So I did at least succeed in making this great publication possible without depending upon any help. The work which will be about 4-500 pages will contain an account on the history, literature, dogmatics, cosmology, sacred tradition, ethics and ritual of the Jainas. I have collected very much material for this purpose, chiefly from Sanskrit sources as Tattwarthadhigamasutra. Karmagrantha, Lokaprakasa etc. but I do not know what original text may be taken as basis for describing the ritual, a text generally in use to day, containing the hyms addressed to the Tirthankaras etc. I should be much obliged if you could give me an advice. I have read what Burgess and Mrs. Stevenson have written on Jain ritual.
An account on the Tirthankara, Chakrawartins, and the other 63 persons I have found in the Lokaprakasa and for the some of the Tirthankarsa in some of the the books you had the kindness to send me. It is a pity that the 63 Salakapurasa. charita of Hemachandra is out of print now, as you wrote to me. Is there a short work, where a continous history of all the Tirthankaras, Chakravartins, Vasudevas etc. is given in sanskrit or Prakrit or Hindi ? To a friend of mine who is very interested in these matters I have translated passages from the Lokaprakasa, but that is of course rather meagre.
My book will be transtated into English. May I send to you the English Mss. in parts so that you may go through it and see that no mistake has crept in ? For I do not want to give an inaccurate account of Jainism nor an account of full missionary bias, as Mrs. Stevensons is.
May I ask you now some questions?
1) Are all Abhavyas never able to get release and which is the cause of it ( chance ?). Shree Sudharmaswami Gyanbhandar-Umara, Surat www.umaragyanbhandar.com
