Mahaviras Word

Author(s): Walther Shubring
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

Page 10

Preface
Walther Schubring's work translated here from the German is a highly scholarly piece of work in the field of Jaina studies. This is clearly evident from the very title: Worte Mahāvīras. Kritische Übersetzungen aus dem Kanon der Jaina (“Mahāvīra's Words. Critical Translations from the Canon of the Jainas”), Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1926. In it Schubring strives to be as faithful to the original texts as a translation possibly can be. He translates the texts as they are, with any insertion being clearly marked (in brackets), including the simple addition of a verb "to be" which is commonly left out in Prakrit and Sanskrit.
The original intention was to do a 'simple' English translation of the work and, by and large, to try and be as sincere to Schubring as he was to the texts he translated. However, any work such as this cannot ignore the fact that not only does a 1926 publication (still available today!) have to be brought up to date in many respects (e.g., with regard to references, bibliography, etc.), but also that the translation should in some way take cognizance of relevant work done in the field of Jaina studies. Without the spontaneous help of Professor Willem Bollée particularly in this regard, the intended ‘simple translation would hardly have been useful. Thanks to Prof. Bollée's expert involvement the translation has been raised to a level that can truly be termed academic, in keeping with Schubring's original scholarship. Prof. Bollée not only improved several expressions, but added his vast knowledge to the basic translation I had done. This will be evident from the numerous additions made within angle brackets (..), including the footnotes which have been added in the same way: (fr. no.), and often acknowledging him in the form: (WB). This is in addition to Appendix 4 with Prof. Bollée's additions to footnotes, intended especially for the longer footnotes and other relevant information. In other words, it is befitting that the work now appears with two translators.
We tried to retain Schubring's form of presentation in most cases. Some differences and noteworthy points in this context are: 1. apart from the overview of the canon in Schubring's