Letters to Vijayendrasuri

Author(s): Kashinath Sarak
Publisher: Yashodharma Mandir

Page 96

good examination, promoted to the degree of Ph. D. of our University. She is a very enthusiastic scholar, pursuing in her studies the only aim of augmenting her knowledge and of preparing herself for actively promoting literary and scientific studies. As her means of subsistance are scanty and as life is extremely costly now, especially in large towns, I offered her a lodgidg clear of charges in my family, where she is dwelling now with my wife and my children. In her eager desire to augment her knowledge she had learned, under Prof. Garbe at Tubingen, the elements of Sanskrit, and when I began my lectures at Leipzig, she was one of the students to whom I expounded Somadeva's Kathasaritsagara. During this lecture she took so vivid an interest in sanskrit literature, that she declared to me her intention to devote herself in future wholly to sanskrit studies. She has an excellent memory and a very keen intellect, and her progress is quite astonishing. If she is continuing in the same manner-and I have no doubt she will,- she will do good service to Jain literature. As she is dwelling now in my family, she has the free use of my books and of my manuscripts, and she has already began to study the Gujarati language. I explained to her my views on Jain literature, and she has intention to devote herself not only to the study of Jain Sanskrit, but also to Jain Prakrit and vernacular literature.
So you see that even in these extremely sad days sanskrit studies are not quite desolate at our University, and that I have here even two very promising young scholars to whom I am very glad to point out the importance of Jain studies.
How does your layman progress in German ? If he needs any help, please let him write to me, I shall be very glad to
help him in any way I can,