Catalogue of Sanskrit and Prakrit Manuscripts

Catalogue of Sanskrit and Prakrit Manuscripts

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We have pleasure in placing before the readers Part II (B) of the ‘Catalogue of Sanskrit & Prakrit Mss.’ in the Rajasthan Oriental !Research Institute ( Jodhpur Collection) in continuation of Part II ( A) already published last year. As already mentioned in preface to Part II ( A) the total number of entries of manuscripts in Part II (A & B), in the Jodhpur collection, was to be 5,900 but on actual cataloguing 25 Mss. were left out being non-Sanskrit & non-Prakrit ones. Part II ( C) will contain entries of 1,6o8 Mss. in the Jaipur collection, the printing of which is also nearing completion. According to the classification laid down by the Ministry of Education, New Delhi, manuscripts bearing on the first seven subjects viz., Veda & Vaidika, Vedangas, Smriti, Itihas & Purana, Philosophy, Buddhistic and Jain, have been included in Part II ( A) comprising 2,792 entries. The volume in hand contains details of 3,o83 Mss. on the remaining subjects namely Bhakti, Tantra, Agama, Mantrashastra, Kavya, Vyakarana, Kosha and Nighantu, Chhandas-shastra, Alankar, Natya-shastra, Geet, Shilpa, Artha and Raja-shastra, Ratna-shastra, Kama-shastra, Ayurved, and Jyotish.

The method and technique adopted in preparing the catalogue has been the same as in the previous volumes. Extracts from important manuscripts from the point of their subject, author, date or some important information contained in the post-colophonic entries have been given in the appendix. It would be very interesting and illuminating to go through these extracts. It is obvious that all manuscripts are generally not correctly written. Some of them contain many scribal and other errors. Least efforts are made to correct the mistakes or to edit the portions reproduced in this appendix so as to give an accurate idea of the manuscript and the text contained in it. Some of the manuscripts included in this volume are rare and unpublished.

Scholars working in this field will be interested in and benefitted with these entries, I hope. Inspite of all care taken in compiling and editing this work, it is just possible, many mistakes might have crept in through oversight.

I request the scholars for setting them right while making use of this catalogue. This publication is being brought out with the financial assistance given by the Ministry of Education, Government of India, New Delhi, both for the preparation and printing of it. We are, therefore, grateful to the Ministry for this encouragement to such an under-taking. I offer my thanks, as before, for full cooperation and assistance rendered by Shri Gopal Narayan Bahura, Dy. Director and Shri Lakshmi Narayan Goswami, Cataloguing Assistant, of this Institute, in the preparation and publication of this volume. Shri Vinayasagar, Sahitya-mahopadhyaya and Shri Bhuramal yati, M.A. did very good and careful work in filling up the identity cards of the Mss. and then in preparing the press copy of the volume. I thank them both for the help done and the interest taken in the preparation of the catalogue. Shri Hari Prasad Pareek, Manager, Sadhana Press, Jodhpur also deserves my thanks for his cooperation in the printing of this catalogue.

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