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MAHÁPURANA
The text of the entire Mahapurána will cover approximately 2000 pages of the royal size, of which the present volume contains 600. It is clear that the whole of the Mahapurpă could not be conveniently issued in one volume. I therefore propose to include in each volume an Introduction, dealing chiefly with the problems which concern the text of that volume only, reserving larger questions arising out of entire text for the Introduction to the third and the last volume. Moreover, Introductions to Jasa haracariu and Nayaku măracariu already contain some information about the author, the language of his works, metres etc., which the reader is presumed to possess.
THE CRITICAL APPARATUS The text of the Adipurāņa or of the present volume of the Mahapurāpa is based upon the following five Mrs. fully collated.
1. G. This Ms. consists of 503 leaves measuring 11" x 5". It has 8 lines to a page and about 29 letters to a line. It was written at Ghogha Mandir, is dated 1575 of the Samvat era, or 1441 of the Saka era, corresponding to 1518 A. D. It uses prsthamatras and has brief marginal gloss. It is a well-preserved Ms., belongs to the Balatkara Gana Mandir at Karanja, Berar, and bears No. 524 of their list ( No. 7752 of the Catalogue). It was secured for my use by Professor Hiralal Jain. It begins :- ओं नमः सिद्धेभ्यः ॥ सिद्धिवहमणरंजणु etc., and ends :-इय महापुराणे तिसट्ठिमहापुरिसगुणालंकारे महाकइपुप्फयंतविरइए महाभब्वभरहाणुमण्णिए महाकव्वे सगणहररिसहणाहभरहणिवाणगमणं णाम सत्ततीसमो परिच्छेओ समत्तो ॥ ३७॥ आइयं पव्वं समत्तं ॥ शुभं भवतु संघस्य ।। स्वस्ति श्री सं० १५७५ वर्षे शाके १४४१ प्र० दक्षणायने प्रीष्मऋतौ द्वि... ष्टवदि ७ रवी घोषामंदिरे श्रीमूलसंधे सरस्वतीगच्छे बलात्कारगणे श्रीमत्कुंदकुंदाचार्यान्वये भट्टारकश्रीपद्मनंदिदेवाः तत्पट्टे भट्टारकश्रीदेवेन्द्रकीतिदेवास्तस्पट्टे भट्टारकश्रीविद्यानन्दिदेवास्तत्पट्टे भ० श्रीमल्लिभूषणदेवास्तत्पट्टे भ. श्रीलक्ष्मीचंद्र तच्छिष्य मुनीश्रीनेमिचंद्र। देशावृंबडज्ञातीयगांधी श्रीपति तस्यांगना बाई सभू तयोः पुत्र गांधी कारुआ गांधी सांतां । तेषां मध्ये बा० सभू तया लिखाप्य प्रदत्तमिदमादिपुराणशास्त्रं मुनिश्रीनेमिचंद्रेभ्यः ॥ शुभं भवतु ॥ श्रीरस्तु ।। पं. ८००० ॥ भ० लक्ष्मीचंद्रेभ्यः प्रदत्तं ।। चिरं नंदतु । शुभं भूयात् ।।
This is one of the best and the most authentic of the Mss. of the work that I possess. My text therefore is based mainly on this Ms. There have been a few-indeed very few-occasions when I had to adopt a reading other than the one given in it, but I feel confident that there were sufficient reasons for doing so on every such occasion.
2. K. This is a paper M8. conta Ining 732 pages measuring 16" X 4". Of these 732 pages, 288 are covered by the Adipurana or Adiparva as it is called there. Each page contains 8 lines with about 50 letters to a line. The Ms. is carefully written and has copious marginal gloss. The words of the text are separated by a vertical stroke between words to be separated. Occasional
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