Mahapurana of Puspdanta

Author(s): Ratna N Shriyan
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

Page 13

DESYA WORDS FROM THE MAHĀPURĀNA
by the time of Puşpadanta, sufficient Prakrit and Apabhramśa literature was cultivated. These factors were decisive for us in selecting the text for study.
Broad Plan of the Present Study : Broacly speaking the thesis is made up of two parts The first part is introductory and critical, while the second part presents all the Deśya and rare words under study with cri. tical and comparative notes on their meapings and interpretations.
The topics studied and discussed in the first part are as follows: (1) Description of the basic sources of the study. (2) The plan of study and the mode of its presentation. (3) The nature and character of the Deśya element. (i) The classified list of all the important passages in original and
translation, defining or explaining the terms Deśī, Desya etc. (ii) Critical observations on the above collected data about the
Deśya element. (a) Hemacandra's concept of Deśī. (b) Views of modern scholars like Grierson, Pischel, Banerji,
Ramanujaswami, Patel, Vaidya, Upadhye and others. (4) The role of Deśya element in Prakrit and Apabhramsa in general and
Puşpadanta's works in particular. (i) The role of Deśya element in Prakrit and Apabhramsa. (ii) Observations on Desya and rare linguistic material as found
in Puşpadanta. Thus the first part is not only introductory to the second part, but it also gives general conclusions derived from the material presented in the second part.
The second part consists of Deśya material collected and presented according to the plan of presentation mentioned in the first part followed by an Appendix of Desi words exclusive to Nāya kumāracariu and Jasaharacariu and a second Appendix of rare words found in the old glosses of the works and an alphabetical Reference Index of all the words discussed.
II. DESCRIPTION OF THE BASIC SOURCES OF THE PRESENT
STUDY (A brief account of the author-A short account of the worksVaidya's edition of MP.-Variants and Gloss in Vaidya's edition of MP.Alsdorf's edition of MP.-Edition of NC.---Gloss and Variants in NC.Edition of JC. --Gloss and Variants in JC.]