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Review
रूपमञ्जरीनाममाला-हाँ भारती शेलत.
Pranav Prakashan, Ahmedabad 7, 1983, Pages - 47+16. Price Rs. 12/
The present work is a critical edition of an unpublished work on lexicography by Rupacandra (16th Century). It is based on four paper mss., two of which were procured from the L. D. Institute of Indology Ahmedabad one from the B. J. Institute and one from BORI, PUNE (Photo state). The only complete ms is 1 from the L. D. Institute, through thc editor, Dr. Bliarati Shelat, found the other 3 also be useful. Full available details of all the four are given as expected in a critical edition. All available information about the family and place of the author belongs to the Mehra lineage of Rajputs, who were the same as Mers who settled in Porbandar (Saurashtra). The evidences enlisted seei to be authentic.
The work is divided into ten sections known as Vargas. The first nine deal with 150 synonyms and the last deals with five homonyms. The total number of verses in Austup metre is 123 (83 full, 38 half and 44 quarter verses). The last varga of homonyms has five verses in three metres, As Dr. Shelat rightly points out.
"The author of this lexicon follows no principle of arrangement.. He has arranged them at random." The style is rightly simple and direct. Other details of style are also given. A detailed Index of words at the end and a very detailed and careful note of all variant readings, as also mostly a selection of the appropriate reading at every place show what great effort Dr. Shelat has put in the work. It also gives ample proof of her command over the science of critical editing. We sincerely hope that Dr. Shelat enriches lexicography by editing many more works of this type.
R. S. Betai
