Sambodhi 2018 Vol 41

Author(s): J B Shah
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

Page 18

Vol. XLI, 2018
Reflections on Manuscriptology:
Not only this, there are other areas also where the knowledge content of manuscripts can be harvested by careful research for application in the modern context. For example, in the field of water resource management in India. The indigenous tradition has used water resources according to availability through conservation processes and equitable distribution systems. In a desert state like Rajasthan man made lakes were created for conservation and effective utilisation of water. If clues are taken from traditional texts and are applied along with modern technology, perhaps there can be better water resource management.
Let us also take the example of architecture in this context. High-rise buildings with closed door environments are not conducive to climatic conditions in India. These are totally dependent on electricity, to make them habitable. Therefore, on the one hand it is a drain on limited resources and on the other it does not create comfortable living or work space. India has got a long and rich tradition of architecture which is evident from what is left of by gone times. Texts, like Samarāngana Sūtradhāra and others are rich in source material for developing modern Indian architectural designs that would be more environment friendly. These are only some random examples that can be multiplied through careful research.
My emphasis on the importance of scientific texts in Indian tradition, is concurrent with my realisation of the richness of literary traditions in the manuscript heritage. Much of this still awaits discovery and analysis. A programmed approach towards undertaking this effort will have rich rewards.
In order to be able to harvest the rich legacy of Mss in India as elsewhere, there is a need to train young people in the science and arts of Mss and manuscriptology. Reading Mss requires a highly specialised form of training in specific languages, scripts, art of manuscript writing and interpreting the same. As we all know, style of expression changes with time and therefore, each era has a different style of expressing facts in different disciplines. In order to read a manuscript of mathematics in Sanskrit one would need to be trained
v in the language, scripts of respective regions and eras but also in the style of presentation in the given period. It will be worth the time of all stake holders to develop a trained manpower base for harvesting the knowledge available in manuscripts.
I would like to conclude by pointing out that in order to make manuscripts accessible to readers, editing and printing is a necessity which cannot be overemphasised. Editing manuscripts is an arduous task that requires