Sanskrit and Prakrit Manuscripts in Rajasthan ORI Part 02 C

Author(s): Jinvijay
Publisher: Rajasthan Oriental Research Institute Jodhpur

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prepared and preserved. Publication of certain rare manuscripts avallable in these Bhandars, such as-a complete copy of Bhatta Somesvara's commentary on the Kavya Prakasha' of Mammata, a work written on palm-leaf and dated 1158 A. D. not much later after the date of composition of he 'Kivyı Prakasha' between 1050-1100 AD; the 'Cakrapani-vijaya Maha-kavya' by Laxmidhara Bhatt, the 'Shabdaratnapradipa', 'Karakasambandhodyota', ‘Balasiksha Vyakarına' by Thakkur Sangram Singh and the ‘Vrittajatisamuchchaya' of Virhanka, Kavidar pana', 'Padartharatnam injusa' and 'Tripura Bharati Laghustava Tika', etc., goes to the credit of the Institute. The Cakrapani - vijaya - Mahakavya' is the only palm-leaf copy of the work available now. It is a love-tale. The 'Shabdaratnapradipa', as the title suggests, is a work of lexical character containing several words that yield more than one meaning. The 'Karkasamba ndhodyota' is a monograph on the Katantra school of Sanskrit grammar. The "Vrittaja tisamuchchaya' is a work on Prakrit and Sanskrit metres, written by Virhanka in about the 7th century A.D. The ‘Kavidarpana', represents an invaluable phase in the history of middle Indo-Aryan prosodical tradition. Composed about the 14th century A.D. the 'Padartha-ratna-manjusa', of Krishna Bhatta is an important manual of the Vaishesika school of Philosophy. The Tripura Bharati Laghustava' is a devotional poem by Laghuacharya dedicated to Goddess Tripura. “Vasavadatta'-that well-known love-story in elegant Sanskrit prose by Subandhu, Its printing is almost complete. Many other similar works from the Jaisalmer collection are also under publication, which are pledged to add a lot to our information about the medieval Sanskrit, Prakrit and allied literature.
One of the latest undertakings of the Institute is the scheme for the survey of manuscripts, painting and other art objects that are lying scattered all over Rajasthan. Seven branch offices of the Institute have been established at Jaipur, Kota, Alwar, Tonk, Udaipur, Bikaner and Chittorgarh to meet the purpose. The Government have handed over all the manuscripts lying in the various libraries and museums to the Institute for preservation and proper use. Large number of manuscripts have been received in donation, and in this respect the Bikaner branch has made a history, where an attractive number of about 21,000 valuable Mss. have come in donation. Similarly, the Chittorgarh branch containing about 8,000 manuscripts stems from the same vision of the donors. Branch offices at Jaipur, Alwar and Kota have also gained by such donations. The survey work is proceeding in accordance with the prescribed proformas with a view to derive the maximum