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PREFACE
The present volume is a collection of essays, research articles and critical reviews in the branches of Jain Literature relating to Dharma, Purānas, poetry and poetics (Alamkāraśāstra). The work consists of two parts. Part I pertains to Dharma and Purānas and part II to non-religious (or secular) literature. It is now for the discerning readers and critics to judge their worth. I will feel amply rewarded if they derive satisfaction by reading these writings which I wrote during the last five decades. I take this opportunity to express my grateful thanks to all those authorities, directors of Research Institute/ Centres, and editors of Oriental Research Journals for giving me permission to include in the present volume the several essays (introductions), research articles and reviews first published by them.
I extend my warm thanks to Dr. Jitendra B. Shah, Director, Sharadaben Chimanbhai Educational Research Centre, Ahmedabad, but for whose and pressing requests during the last three-four years I would not have exerted myself in collecting and duly arranging and editing these writings spread over fifty years. In fact I must thank him doubly for accepting this work for publication by Sharadaben Chimanbhai Educational Research Centre, Ahmedabad. I express my heartfelt thanks to my friends, Dr. G. S. Bedagkar, Prof. Dalsukhbhai Malvania, Dr. H. C. Bhayani who took keen interest in my work, alas ! they are no more. I sincerely thank Mrs. Mrudula Joshi for editorial assistance and for taking pains to prepare the Indexes, and Mrs. S. R. Vaswani, erstwhile Dy. Librarian of the Asiatic Society of Bombay for making books readily available to me whenever asked for.
I appreciate the services rendered by-Vikram Makwana and Chirag Shah for Data-entry and Typesetting, Naranbhai Patel and Chandraprakash Shah for proofreading, Akhilesh Mishra for final typesetting and butter-prints, and the Navbharat Printing Press. Mumbai
V. M. Kulkarni 26 March, 2001.
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