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PREFACE
When, in about 1942, I was encouraged by Muni Sri Jinavijayaji to take up study of some Apabhramsa work for my doctorate dissertation, I had little imagined he would suggest to me to select with that purpose such an important work as Svayambhu's Paümacariu, which was known to be the earliest Purāņic epic in Apabhraṁsa, available till then only in the MS. form. Considering myself fortunate for getting, through Muniji's kindness, such a singular opportunity, I started, under his instruction and guidance, collecting materials with a view to prepare a critical edition of the Vidyadharakānda (and eventually, of the whole text) of the Paümacariu. It is now--after a lapse of eleven years that I have been able to complete and put before the public the critical edition of the first Kanda of that work. Having had to shoulder various other duties, it was not possible for me to devote to that task sufficient time and attention at a stretch. I could work on it only at intervals. This would explain the long time taken to complete it.
I had two Mss. of the Paümacariu to begin with. At that time the information regarding a third Ms. of the work was quite indefinite and the chances of acquiring it, very remote. Hence I had prepared the text of the whole of the Vidyadhara-kānda running over some 2700 distichs by collating the two Mss. then at my disposal. But later on I came to know of the whereabouts of the third Ms. and when I could get and examine it, I found it superior to both the other Mss. that were with me. As a consequence I had to reconstitute the whole of the text of the Vidyadhara-kānda. This fact also was responsible for considerable delay.
Although with the publication of this edition I have completed my work on the Vidyādhara-kāņda for the present, I feel dissatisfied with it in more than one ways. Especially in the critical studies connected with the Vidyadhara-kānda I have not been able to touch some interesting aspects, like the form of the Apabhrarśa epic, Svayambhū's style, his poetry, etc., and even the aspects that are studied still leave scope for further investigation. The only genuine satisfaction I can derive from the present effort is in hoping that this might induce some research workers interested in bringing to light Apabhramśa literature, to devote more attention to the external aspects of the texts like language, metre, form, style, etc., which are found neglected in general. Of course all the while I was engaged in the present study, the highly prized pleasure of being mentally in the intimate company of a poet of lasting glory like Svayambhū was mine own, and needs no express mention.
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