________________
viii
PREFACE
the introduction an attempt has been made to indicate from other Indian sources-almost exclusively Jaina-some parallels to the stories contained in the Manipati-carita. In view of the immensity of the field to be covered these cannot represent a consistent attempt to trace the history of the tales, and in fact they provide little more than rough indications for anyone interested in the subject.
There remains the pleasant task of expressing my thanks to those who have helped me in the compilation of this little work: to Professor Sir Ralph Turner, former Director of the School of Oriental and African Studies who first guided my studies of Sanskrit and to whose unfailing kindness over a long period of years I owe more than I could ever hope to repay, to Professor H. W. Bailey of Cambridge, to Professor John Brough and Mr. C. A. Rylands of the School of Oriental and African Studies, and to Mr. A. C. Master who gave generously of his great erudition in the interpretation of Gujarati sources. Of my debt to Muni Punyavijayaji and Muni Jambuvijayaji I have already spoken.
I should like also to mention two scholars whose works have been indispensable to me. Pandit Har Govind Das Sheth has been dead many years but has left an abiding monument in the Paia-Sadda-Mahanṇavo which for all its imperfections remains perhaps the most remarkable single contribution by one man to Prakrit studies. The other, Professor A. N. Upadhye, is happily still alive and in full activity: I refer to him here because to his erudite and exact editions of Prakrit classics I owe much more than the footnotes to this work would seem to indicate.
In conclusion I would express my gratitude to the Council of the Royal Asiatic Society who made a grant from the James G. Forlong Fund to cover the cost of publication of this book.
