In 1893, the Great Visionary Maharaja Sir Sayajirao Gaekwad III of Baroda conceived the idea of having an Institute for the propagation of our ancient culture & heritage by way of collection, preservation of Mss, and editing of rare, valuable & important works He, there fore, first commenced the year series called, the "Gaekwad's Oriental Series" and also established the Oriental Institute. In the year 1993-94, the then Director, Dr R.T. Vyas, decided to celebrate the centenary year of the conception of Oriental Institute Out of the centenary fund, then accumulated, several functions were organised. The National Seminar on the Visnupurana & the Markandeyapurana (28th-31st July 1993) & the International Seminar on the Higher Criticism of the Valmiki Ramayana 125th 27th January 1994) were the two prominent programmes among them.
From the same fond, it was also resolved to arrange 15 lectures of Prof. J.P. Thakor, Ex-Director, Oriental Institute, on "Manuscriptology & Text-criticism." Prof. J.P. Thaker is not only an outstanding scholar but also has ample practical experience in the field. He delivered these lectures during 1st Sept. to 10th Sept. 1997. He had very meticulously prepared these lectures. It was, therefore, felt necessary to publish them in a book form, which would highly be useful to the students and scholars, working in the field of Manuscriptology & Textual Criticism. It can serve as a model textbook for courses & studies in this field.
I am very glad to present to the world of scholars this book, incorporating all these fifteen scholarly lectures on the said topic. We are highly obliged to Prof. J.P. Thaker, the author of the book, for taking great pains even in his advanced age, in actually writing down them very neatly and preparing the presscopy in a very short period. Mrs. Saswati Sen and Mrs. A.C. Raval have carefully read the proofs. We are thankful to both of them. We are also thankful to the University Authorities for releasing the necessary grant for its publication, Shri P.N. Shrivastav, the Manager, M.S. University of Baroda Press & his colleagues also deserve our hearty thanks for their neat and careful printing of the book.
When I was invited to prepare and deliver these ten lectures, it was indeed a labour of love which I undertook with full zeal and interest. It was solely by virtue of God's Grace that all the hindrances staged by ill health etc. could be over come and the project could be satisfactorily completed in which words can I express my sense of indebtedness to Him for this? I admit I have no words to do so !
The personal notes which I had prepared carefully while studying such monumental books as VS. Sukthankar's "Prolegomena to the Critical Edition of the Adiparvan of the Mahabharata," S. M. Katre's "Introduction to Indian Textual Criticism," G.H. Ojha's "Indian Palaeography and Muni Punyavijayaji's long 136 page Gujarati article on "Jaina Sramana Samskiti ane Lekhana kala", during the preliminary phase of the great project of the Critical Edition of the Valmiki-Ramayana, say during 1952-53, proved very useful as the basis of these lectures. The Introductions and Critical Notes furnished in the different volumes of the Critical Editions of the Mahabharata and the Ramayana were also consulted. I am highly indebted to all those Purva suris.
Such of my learned friends as Yogacarya Shantikumar Bhatt (49, Meghadhanush Society, J.P. Road, Vadodara 390 020) and Late Dr. R.N. Mehta were kind enough to lend their precious books to me every now and then and allowed me to keep them with me till my researches thereon were over. Occasionally I held frank, and sometimes pretty long. discussions with both of them as also with my another learned friend V.S.S. Pt. Keshavalal G. Trivedi (64, Maneesha Society, J.P. Road Vadodara 390020). Smt. A.C. Raval of the Oriental Institute readily helped me in various ways quite frequently through out my rescarches on this project. I express my high sense of gratitude to all of them.
Dr. M.L. Wadekar, Shri P.H. Joshi and Dr. S.Y. Wakankar of the Oriental Institute were also always ready to help me, whenever need arose. Other staff members of the Institute, including Shri Chauhan, the Technical Assistant, were also courteous enough to look into my needs. I am highly thankful to them all.
My heartfelt thanks are due also to Dr. R.1. Nanavati, the then Director of the Institute, for so nicely organising the Inaugural function on Sept. 1,1997 for the series of lectures along with the ceremony of the release of my book, the Visvamitri mahatmya (Critical Edition with a critical study of the Text, published as No. 176 of the Gaekwad's Oriental Series) as also for arranging promptly for the publication of the lectures in the shape of the present volume.
For modern methods of preservation of Manuscripts I have followed the concerned chapter of my late friend Dr. R.N. Mehta's Gujarati book in print. For this purpose he lent his hand written copy to me. The names of the chemicals etc. utilized for preservation wete written therein in Gujarati. I had to find out their correct English spellings. My courteous Icarned friends Yogācārya Shantikumar Bhatt and Prof. H.A. Bhatt, M.Sc. Tech. (Surendra Niwas, 22 D.N. Road, Vile Parle West, Mumbai 400056) helped me in this task. I am highly thankful to both of them for the same.
During the course of these lectures discussions were held occasionally with some of the enlightened listeners, which inspired me all the more. I express gratefulness to all those learned friends.
I have tried to be as exact as possible in delineating all the different aspects of the subject. For that purpose, I have made every effort to make the maximum use of the plates furnished by both G.H. Ojhaji and Muni Punyavijayaji. I have chosen a number of such plates for being displayed in the present volume. I am highly thankful to Shri Devendra Jain and Shri Ashoka Jain of M/s Munshi Ram Manoharial, New Delhi and Shri Jagatchandra Sarabhai Nawab, Amadabad, respectively for their kind permission for this.
In fine, I express my sense of gratitude to Shri P.N. Shrivastava, the Manager of the M.S. University Press, and his colleagues for neat and decent printing and nice get-up.
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