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In addition to the Präkrit-Ilindi Dictionary (Prikrit Sabda dlahärmara) by PL. Hargovindadas Shetli and the Ardhamāgadhi Dictionary by Juni Ralnachanriraji, we have the great Abhidhāna-Rājendra in seven mighty volumes comprising 9,200 pages of Royal Quarto size compiled by Vijaya Rājendra Suri, in whose sacred memory a Commemoration Volume has been published only two years back. Apart from compilation and editing even the printing of this great lexicon was a stupendous task, ani the students of Psäkrit will be crer indebted to the learned Acárja for his signal service in preparing this reference. fool. But the value of this lexicon from the victr.point of a student is somewhat modified by th: fact that sometimes shole tests have bzen quoted to explain a ford, but otherwise references are not in as complete a form as rould enable a student to trace and use the original sources. The future Dictionary of Prálirits which is a desideratum perhaps need not be as big as the Abhidhăna-Rajendra, bat it should be a thorough rcierence. tool. All the texiual cuitings in Prakrit should be accompanied by full indices useful to the lexicographer as well as to the
student of history and culture. I think we may look forward : to the Prakrit Text Society's illing up of this lacuna in Prakrit and Jaina studies with the co-operation of competent scholars, and expect it to make gradual provision for the compilation of a Prakrit Dictionary which would not only be lexically exhaustive as far as possible, but would also give a fair indication of the development of ideas and culture expressed through Prakrit languages.
It is hardly necessary to state that though the emphasis of these three projects, piz., Cultural Index of the Canon, Dictionary of Taina Sanskrit and the Prakrit Lexicon would be different, there are complimentary and will illuminate in their own way the cultural, linguistic and literary history of ancient and medizeral India.
.. Lasils, I woulā like to say something about the Jaina - manuscipt-libraries or Jūāna-Bhandaras. One of the principal