Descriptive Catalogue of Govt Collections of Manuscripts Part 3

Author(s): Hiralal R Kapadia
Publisher: Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute

Page 23

Preface
The seventh Appendix is given there with the hope that it will serve as a geographical index to some extent, useful for identifying old place-names. I may add that I do not remember to have come across any Catalogue where such an appendix is separately given.
xxii
The eighth Appendix is assigned a separate place by the late Prof. Weber, while Prof. Keith has dealt with it, under a general index wherein he has mentioned names of works and authors as well. Under the heading of this Appendix given there, I have mentioned presentees over and above the patrons of scribes with a view to bring into prominence, the speciality of the Jaina code of Ethics.
The ninth and the last Appendix is perhaps a unique feature of this Catalogue inasmuch as it appears to be found nowhere else. In this Appendix abbreviations are recorded for the first time they and not for as many times as they do. For, the main object in giving this Appendix is to facilitate the reading of Mss., and that is why the full form is given against the corresponding abbreviation.
occur,
This finishes a rough survey of the contents of Parts III and IV, which when taken into account with the corresponding survey of the contents of Parts I and II, will show that the completion of this Volume XVII will cover up the description of Mss. pertaining to all the six groups under which the Svetambaras classify their 45 canonical treatises known as the Agamas. This fact goes to prove the richness of the Government Manuscripts Library deposited at the Bhandarkar Institute, and it, when taken into account with its collection of Jaina Mss. of non-canonical treatises, can make any one endorse at least the first part of the following statement made in the Preface (p. xxxvii) of Vol. I, Pt. I :
I
"That no library of Oriental Mss. possesses as valuable and numerous a stock of Mss. of Jaina literature as our library has, has been acknowledged by scholars from the very beginning and in fact it could even be said that there is hardly any edition of an
I The II Angas, the 12 Upaugas and the 10 Prakirnakas along with 18 Supernumerary ones have been treated, together with their exegetical literature in Part I. The six Chedasutras and the two Culikāsutras have been similarly dealt with in Part II, and all the Mulasūtras, in this part,