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Dr. Chandra has provided us with the text of the first chapter of the frist part of Ācārănga as published by Prof. H. Jacobi, 1882. Jacobi was lucky in securing perhaps the oldest Ms.(of 1292 A.D.). It is noteworthy that the old German Scholar more than a century ago, with scant MSS. material, could sense the old AMg. forms. In a way it supports the restored text (by Dr. Chandra), though he was not then aware of it.
Prof. Dr. K.R. Chandra, a devout Jain scholar, has been "haunted" with the cause of restoring the Jina Vacana to its pristine purity. He culled 75000 forms (cards) from old AMg. texts, pored over practically every letter of the standar editions of the Acārānga, studied text-critical problems of such Agamic works and presented a model edition of the Ist Adhyayana of the Ācārânga which even Sudharman will appreciate from High Heavens.
It is certainly creditable that Dr. Chandra has single-handedly prepared this excellent edition - a beacon for generations to come. But such epoch-making projects should be undertaken by some research institute founded for this specific purpose. Fortunately, Gujrat and Rajasthan have a number of good old Bhandāras. There are eminent scholars who can competently undertake such work. And the liberal munificence of the Svetambara Jain community will certainly finance such a project.
G.V. Tagare
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