Recent Publications

Page 1

RECENT PUBLICATIONS Ratnachandraji, An Ilustrated Ardha-Magadhi Dictionary. 5 vols. Tokyo, Meicho-fukyukai, 1977. LIV, 19, 511 pp.; 1002 pp.; 701 pp.; 912, 103 pp.; 14, 857, 23 pp. Yen 70.000. Ratnacandra's Ardhamagadhi dictionary was originally published in 1923, 1927, 1930, 1932 and 1938. As A. C. Woolner explained in his introduction to the first volume, the dictionary contains about 50.000 words, collected from 49 texts consisting of nearly the whole of the Svetambara .canon together with all important supplementary works. Each word is followed by an indication of the grammatical gender, a Sanskrit equivalent, explanations in Gujarati, Hindi and English and references to the texts. After having completed the Ardhamagadhi dictionary in four volumes, Ratnacandra compiled a fifth volume containing the vocabulary of Maharastri Prakrit and desi words. This volume is arranged in the same way, but the explanations are given in Hindi and English only. Ratnacandra's dictionary is based upon Indian editions of Jain texts published before 1918/ and upon manuscripts of texts not yet published at that time. The list of works consulted contains 37 printed texts and 12 manuscripts. The collecting of materials was begun in 1910 by Kesarichand Bhandari who later handed over his materials to Luigi Suali. After the outbreak, of the war Suali sent them back to India. The compilation of the dictionary was then entrusted to Ratnacandra who completed it within three years. Consequently his Gujarati translations and explanations were translated into Hindi and English. Ratnacandra's dictionary gives the traditional explanations of Ardhamagadhi words as found in Sanskrit tika-s and in Prakrit kosa-s. As long as there is no critical dictionary of Ardhamagadhi his work will remain an indispensable tool for the study of Jain canonical texts. For many years Ratnacandra's dictionary had become a bibliographical rarity, and could be consulted only in the libraries of established universities. The Meicho-fukyu-kai (The Association for Publishing Academic Masterpieces) has spared no pains to produce an excellent reprint. In a postface to volume five the publisher describes his efforts to obtain a good copy of the original edition. Having been unsuccessful in his efforts he borrowed Professor Matsunami Seiren's copy which was taken apart page by page. The pages were carefully repaired before being photographed. The paper, the binding and the legibility of this reprint are all beyond praise. It is a great pleasure to use this splendid reprint with which the Meicho-fukyu-kai has rendered a great service to Jain studies. Heinz Bechert, Wilhelm Geiger, His Life and Works. Colombo, M. D. Gunasena. Tubingen, Horst Erdmann Verlag, 1976. xii, 153 pp. DM 14.-. Bechert's book is meant in the first place as a general introduction for readers in Sri Lanka and other countries of South and Southeast Asia. Apart from printed sources Bechert has made use of Geiger's unpublished memoirs Aus meinem Leben, Erinnerungen and of letters from and to Geiger. He quotes from letters written in Pali by Geiger and Subhuti Thera (1835-1917). The importance of Geiger's work and his dose relations with Sri Lanka for many years are clearly Indo-Iranian Journal 21 (1979) 213-218. Copyright (c) 1979 by D. Reidel Publishing Company, Dordrecht, Holland.