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FOREWORD
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[By Dr. Kalidas Nag, M.A. (Cal.) D. Litt. (Paris), Calcutta University,
Former General Secretary, Royal Asiatic Society of Bengal. ]
Shri Tugal Kishore Muhlitar 18 not merely a schblar, but an institution Sronficir a profitable legal career, he decided to dedicate his life to the caufe of study and research into the history, literature and philosophy of Jainism. Out of his humble Bryings and personal property, he created the Vir Sewa Mandı. Trust of Rs 51,000/- which is now valued over Rs. 100,000/-. But, much more than any financial aid to the cause, was his life-long' contibution to the unfolding of the oultural heritago of Jainisin, which is as important to the Jains as to the Indians in general A devoted soul, that he is,' he wiote on Swami Samantabhadra, Grantha-Parikshas, Jiba-Pujadhikara-Mimansa, Jainacharyon-ka-Shasanabheda, Vivaha-Samuddeshya, Vivaha-Kshetra-Prakasha, Upasana-Tattva, Siddhi-Sopan etc, 29 well as some spuitual poems in Hindi He is an accomplished scholar in Sienskrit, Prahnt and other languages of Hinduism and Buddhism His knowledge of Tain Prahrt und Apabhrunsh, both in published texts and unpublished manuscripta, tí almost unuvallend In fact he is a " living encvelopredea" of Tam culture
Though his intensie 10SeaLch and careful analysis, he has made soveral dark cornert nl Tain history and culture clear to us today As early as 1934, I hul the plossiile of reading a histoucal essay on "Bhagwan Mahavir aur unka Samaya" He was the first to point out the precise date of the first Sernion of Lord Mahavir et Rajaguhan , and According to his calculation that event was solemnly celebrated in 1944 at Rajaguha and at Caloutta where the first All India Jain Congress was convened on the occasiou of the 2500th anniversary of the Sermon. His lesearches were brought to bear on the solution of many complicated problems relating to the works of eminent Jain Achaz yas like Kundakunda, Uma-Swami, Samantabhadra, Siddha-Sena, Yativrishabha, Patrakesari, Akalanka, Vidyananda, Prabhachandra, Rajamalla, Nemichandra, and others
From the l'il Sowa Mandı many big monographs have been published, while his own articles, notes eto, would be over 1000 He visited the Arah Jain Siddhant Bhawan and many other important Jain Bhandala-Libialles, giving 118 valuable information through the Jain periodicals, like the Jain Gazette, the Jain Hiteshi and the Anehant with which he 18 intimately connected
The crowning glory of his scholarly career will be the publication of a comprehensive lexicon of Jain technical terms named Jain-Lakshanavali in whioh he has thoroughly analysed over 200 Digambar and another 200 Swetambar
clas81c8" and ariauged the terms alphabetically, so that it would be m most convenient reference book for all scholars
