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(See. p. 47-48 of the present book). It is hoped that the scheme might be found of some practical use in a similar type of work.
Dr. Ratna Shriyan has painstakingly and systematically collected here considerable amount of positive information regarding the meaning and use of more than fourteen hundred items. At numerous places she has cited corroborating passages from original Prakrit and Apabhranića texts and has extracted relevant information from modern works of Prakrit scholarship. She has used her sources carefully and critically, has pointed out some serious errors and at several places made original suggestions. In the first section of the book she has presented most of the available information on the nature, character and scope of the Deśya words from the traditional as well as modern sources.
Her present study of Deśya words from Puşpadanta is the first of the concerete steps which should pave the way for investigating the bases and authenticity of Hemacandra's Deśināmamālā. It also provides properly documented and hence highly valuable material for Middle and Modern Indo-Aryan lexicography, and thus opens up quite a fruitful line of studying Prakrit and Apabhramśa texts. For all these she deserves our high praise. Let us hope that she continues her scholarly labours in this field and makes further valuable contributions.
The Bangalore University and Lalbhai Dalpatbhai Institute of Indology deserve credit for what they have done in making available to the public such a useful and valuable work.
Gujarat University
Ahmedabad 1, December 1969
H. C. Bhayani
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