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xvii
PREFACE
the same chapter, as well as in different chapters, through copyist's blunders or want of revision. The lacuna of 'I' may thus be ascribed to negligence in reading the extremely injured parts of. 'J,' since we have such obvious common mistakes as var ayet for r'an-nayat, etc. They may be taken to form one group.
With regard to the provenance of the Manuscripts it is unfortunately impossible to give much definite information. 'A,'C' D'E' belong to the India Office. 'B' comes from Calcutta and 'H'from Bombay, 'F' . G, 1,' J' come from Madras. The Telegu character of 'D' and the Grantha and Tamil characters of F' and the Grantha character of 'G' I' and 'J' point to their South Indian origin. 'B' seems to have been written in Bengal and 'H'in Northern India. In spite of their Devanagari character, certain orthographic peculiarities, such as yısa for vša and yeka for eku, ‘A,'C' seem to be copies of South Indian originals ; or more probably, they were transcribed by South Indian copyists.
The critical apparatus furnishes abundant warrant for the division of the manuscripts into such groups, and it could easily be supplemented by a number of details, omission or addition, punctuation, particular forms of letters, etc., which are not of sufficiently noteworthy importance. Within each group the manuscripts are in close relationship. This is proved by a number of variants common to each group and especially by long lacune.
The relationship of the manuscripts within the above muntioned families (* A,' 'F'; 'B' D’; C'; G,' 'H'; 'I,' J ') is a matter of considerable difficulty. The nature of the work renders it probable that the relationship should vary in various particulars, and to some extent this expectation has been justified.
of the peculiarities of the groups the following may be mentioned : A,''F' regularly write Kamtha, Kamdhara, Kampa-madhyena ; · B,' • D,' and I, J,' write the same words as Karna, Kamdhara, Kampamardhena. B' and 'C' have sometimes yeka for eka, yisa for isa, etc. Such peculiarities as are common to almost all the manuscripts will be found treated more elaborately under the Critical Notes.
