Samkhitta Taramgavai Kaha

Author(s): H C Bhayani
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

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PREFACE
The L. D. Institute of Indology has great pleasure in offering to the lovers of Prakrit Literature Samkhitta Taramgavai, an abridged version of the lost Taramgavai of Ācārya Padalipta (c. 1st cent A.D.), prepared by an anonymous author possibly belonging to c. 10th century A.D. The text of Samkhitta Taramgavai consists of 1643 Prakrit verses.
We are grateful to Dr. H. C. Bhayani for undertaking the task of editing the text as also of translating it into lucid Gujarati. He has utilised two mss and Bhadreśvara's abridged version of the Taramgavai and tried to set up a satisfactory text as far as it was possible in the face of insuperable difficulties due to very corruptly preserved text and paucity of reliable mss.
Dr. Bhayani has written illuminating Gujarati introduction to this edition. On various grounds discussed in the Introduction, he has come to the conclusion that this abridgement is made mainly by selecting the gathas from the original Taramgavai. So, the style, diction and narration of the original are preserved to a large extent in this Samkhitta Taramgavai.
The story is very interesting. It is rich in poetic descriptions, fresh imagination, living characterisation, novel situations and tactful treatment of human emotions. The treatment being realistic reflects the society of that time.
From the point of view of language study also its reading would be fruitful. In the Introduction Dr. Bhayani has pointed out some peculiarities of its language and noted down several noteworthy grammatical forms as also the desya words. As another rare specimen of archaic Jain Mahārāştri (besides the famous Vasudevahindi), the language of this text would prove highly interesting. (Those who do not know Gujarati are requested to go through his article entitled 'Another Rare Specimen of Archaic Jain Mahārāşțri : Taramgavai-kaha of Padalipta’ Sambodhi Vol VII Nos. 1-4).