Mahavira Jain Vidyalay Suvarna Mahotsav Granth Part 1

Author(s): Mahavir Jain Vidyalaya Mumbai
Publisher: Mahavir Jain Vidyalay

Page 496

VASUDHĀRA-DHARANI : 35
No. 87 were found in the Cambridge University Library. Several MSS. connected with these texts are also listed in the Catalogue of the Sanskrit MSS, in the Tokyo University Library, Tokyo, 1965 (Nos. 355-362 and see also p. 345). There are six Tibetan works dealing with Vasudhārā in the Tibetan Tripitaka". There are three Chinese versions dated respectively mid-seventh century, mid-eighth century and late tenth century.6 Several images and mandalas of the goddess Vasudhārā originating in Nepal have also been found.? In view of this vast literature connected with the cult of Vasudhārā, it was decided by us to prepare a critical edition of the Vasudhāra-dharani utilizing the various MSS. of its different versions. The work is in progress and may take a longer time than earlier envisaged. As the three MSS. found in Ahmedabad form a distinct group, I have found it desirable to publish them in advance in order to elicit more information about it from the Jaina community and also to emphasize the need of diccovering remaining MSS. of this work in their rich bhandāras.
The three Ahmedabad MSS. used here in preparing the text of the Vasudhāra-dharani are referred to as A (No. 3222), B (No. 2848), and C (No. 5730). Despite the different wordings of the initial greetings to the Jina, viz., jinaśāsanāya (A), jināya (B), and vitarācāya (C) (found only in these three MSS.) all three retain a common error in in their first three folios where the sequence of the text has been
4 See C. Bendall's Catalogue of the Buddhist Sanskrit MSS. in the
University Library, Cambridge, 1883. The following MSS. may be consulted : (1) Vasudhārā-dharani (No. 1355), (2) Arya-sri Vasudhārā namāstottara-śatakam (No. 1356), (3) Vasundharā-devivrata (No. 1357), (4) Sucandrāvadāna (No. 1400), (5) Vasudhārā
dhārani-kathā (No. 1680 and 1690). 5 The following may be consulted : Ārya-vasudhārē-nāma dharani
(341-1) Vasudhārā-sadhana (4059-80), Vasudhārā-dharanyupasdesa (4061-81), Arya-vasudhārā-nāma Astottara-śataka (4524/81), Vasudhāriņīkalpa (5127/81) and Vasuśrīkalpa (5128/87). (Tokyo-Kyoto ed. 1955-61). Taish) Tripitaka, vol. 20, Nos. 1162, 1163, 1164. I owe these references
to Professor J. Brough. 7 See Art of Nepal by Stella Kramrisch; Journal of the Indian
Society of Oriental Art I, 1933, Calcutta, p. 129, Plates XXXIX, XL. 8 These numbers refer to the Index of the Library of L. D. Institute,
Ahmedabad