Vaddhmanchariu

Author(s): Vibuha Sirihar, Rajaram Jain
Publisher: Bharatiya Gyanpith

Page 8

GENERAL EDITORIAL
The Bharatiya Jñānapigha is a preeminent academic Institute of our country. It has achieved, during the last quarter of a century, quite worthy results in the form of learned publications in Sanskrit, Pali, Prakrit, Apabhramsa, Tamil and Kannada. Most of them are equipped with critical Introductions embodying original researches which shed abundant light on many a neglected branch of Indian literature. The number of such publications, included in its Mürtidevi and Māņikacandra Granthamālās, is more than one hundred and fifty. Most of these works are brought to light for the first time; and thus, some of them are rescued from oblivion. It has also published in its Lokodaya and Răşgrabhārati Granthamalas nearly four hundred titles in Hindi comprising almost all literary forms like novels, poems, short stories, essays, travels, biographies, researches, critical estimates etc. Through these literary pursuits, the Jñanapitha aims at giving impetus to creative writings in modern Indian languages. By their quality as well as by their appearance the Jñanapītha publications have won approbation and appreciation everywhere.
The Jñanapīţha gives, every year, an Award to the outstanding literary work in the various recognised languages of India which is chosen to be the best creative literary piece of the specific period; and its author gets a prize of one lakh of rupees at a festive function.
The Jñānapitha which is so particular about the publication of ancient Indian literature and also in encouraging the progress of modern Indian literature cannot but take into account the 2500th Nirvāņa Mahotsava of Bhagavān Mahāvīra, one of the greatest sons of India and one of the outstanding humanists the civilised world has ever produced. Naturally the Jñānapícha, among its plans to celebrate the occasion, has undertaken the publication of the biographies of Mahāvīra composed by earlier authors in different languages wherever possible even along with Hindi translation etc.
As a part of this programme have already been published a few works dealing with the biography and teachings of Bhagavān Mahāvīra : i) the Virajinimdacariù (in Apabhramba, edited by the late Dr. H. L. Jain); ii) the Viravardhamanacarita (in Samskrit, edited by Pt. Hiralal); iii) the Vardhamana-carita (in Kannada) of Padmakavi (A, D. 1528 ) edited by Shri B. S. Sannajh, Mysore; and iv) the Vardhamana-purāņa (in Kannada) by Acanna (c. 1190) along with the paraphrase in modern Kannada and a learned Introduction by the well-known Kannada scholar, Prof. T. S. Sham Rao, Mysore. Some monographs dealing with the biography of Mahāvīra, both in English and Hindi, have also been published.
The Jñānapīdha is presenting here the Vaddhamana-carii (VC)in Apabhraíba of (Vibudha) Sridhara who is to be distinguished from some other authors of the