Mudrit Hastpratsucho Samiksha Ane Suchano - Book Summary

Here's a comprehensive summary in English of the provided Jain text, "Mudrit Hastpratsucho Samiksha ane Suchano" (Review and Suggestions on Printed Manuscript Catalogs) by Jayant Kothari:

The article, "Review and Suggestions on Printed Manuscript Catalogs" by Jayant Kothari, critically examines the various approaches and shortcomings found in printed catalogs of Jain manuscripts, particularly focusing on Gujarati literature. The author, drawing from his experience with the Gujarati Sahityakosh (Literary Encyclopedia), highlights the challenges and inconsistencies encountered when compiling information from these catalogs.

The Core Problem:

Kothari begins by addressing the fundamental question faced during the compilation of the Gujarati Sahityakosh: whether to include only printed literature or also literature preserved in manuscripts. While acknowledging the immense effort required to access and catalog manuscripts, he argues that excluding them would leave a significant portion of Gujarati literary history undocumented. A practical compromise was adopted: to include Gujarati literature mentioned in existing printed catalogs of manuscript libraries.

Critique of Existing Catalogs:

The author's experience revealed discrepancies and errors within these printed catalogs. He found that the information often contradicted itself, necessitating verification directly from the manuscripts. This process confirmed that many catalogs contained inaccuracies due to errors in manuscript reading and methodological flaws.

Methodological Issues in Cataloging:

A significant portion of the article is dedicated to analyzing different methods of organizing manuscript catalogs and their respective strengths and weaknesses. Kothari identifies five primary ordering principles:

Library Order: Arranging entries based on their order within the library.
- Pros: Easiest to implement, requiring no reorganization.
- Cons: Disperses multiple manuscripts of the same work, making it difficult for researchers seeking specific authors or works. It's only helpful if subsequent author and work indexes are provided.
- Examples: Forbes Gujarati Sabha and Patan Hemchandracharya Jnanamandir catalogs, while acknowledging their author/work indexes, are critiqued for not always being sufficiently cross-referenced. The author praises the Forbes Sabha's detailed catalog for its cross-referenced indexes.
Author Order: Arranging entries alphabetically by author, listing their works.
- Pros: Directly aids researchers studying a particular author.
- Cons: Requires a separate alphabetical index of works, as the latter has its own utility.
- Critique: K.K. Shastri's integrated list is praised for its author-wise arrangement, but the lack of a comprehensive index for anonymous works and those within collections (like devotional songs) is noted.
Work Order: Arranging entries alphabetically by the title of the work.
- Pros: Considered the best method by the author. It's more economical in space and facilitates the creation of shorter author indexes.
- Cons: Can involve challenges with subject and chronological ordering.
- Highlight: The Limbdi Bhandar catalog compiled by Muni Chaturvijay is lauded as an exemplary model of this approach, with numbered works and concise author indexes. Kothari laments that subsequent catalogers, including those of Muni Punyavijay's works, have not followed this efficient method. The Vadodara Prachya Vidyamandir catalog is also noted as following a work order, albeit with a division into Jain and non-Jain Gujarati works, and lacking a separate author index.
Subject Order: Organizing works by subject matter.
- Pros: Useful for researchers focusing on specific subject areas.
- Cons: Kothari expresses skepticism about making subject division the primary organizing principle, especially for medieval Gujarati literature, where clear subject categorization is difficult due to fluid genres and overlapping themes.
- Critique: Catalogs from L.D. Vidyamandir and B.J. Institute are criticized for their overly detailed and sometimes illogical subject divisions. Examples are given where the same work, due to variations in its title (e.g., "Charitra" vs. "Chopai"), is placed in different categories, creating confusion. The author questions the logic and execution of these classifications, attributing them to a lack of diligence and expertise. He stresses the need for comprehensive author and work indexes following any classified listing. The India Office Library catalog is mentioned as having broader subject categories, which he finds less problematic. While not advocating for strict classification as the primary method, he suggests that providing classified indexes after another primary ordering (like work order) would be beneficial.
Chronological/Historical Order: Arranging works by their date of composition or historical period.
- Pros: Highly useful for understanding the historical development of literature.
- Cons: Extremely difficult to implement, requiring accurate identification of authors and precise dating of works, especially given the prevalence of multiple authors with the same name in the medieval period.
- Praise: Mohanlal Dalichand Desai's monumental work, "Jain Gurjar Kavi," is highlighted as the sole example of a chronologically organized catalog in Gujarati. Desai's dedication and meticulousness are emphasized, even though he faced challenges in updating and refining the work over time. Kothari notes that the newer editions of "Jain Gurjar Kavi" have addressed the initial inconsistencies.

Types of Catalogs and Content:

Kothari differentiates between simple and descriptive (narrative) catalogs.

Simple Catalogs: Typically include manuscript number, work title, author, language, number of verses/stanzas, composition year, writing year, page count, and manuscript condition. He notes that many catalogs, like those from Patan, Limbdi, Prachya Vidyamandir, L.D. Vidyamandir, and Forbes Gujarati Sabha, follow this format.
Descriptive Catalogs: Include excerpts from the beginning and end of works. Kothari advocates for this type, arguing it allows for the detection of errors in transcription and interpretation. He criticizes the B.J. Institute catalog for providing only brief initial passages and omitting crucial information, and for unnecessarily reproducing initial passages of multiple manuscripts of the same work. He finds the Indian Vidya Bhavan catalog's excerpt selection inconsistent.

Enrichment and Errors:

Additional Information: While adding supplementary information about authors is commendable, it should be done with care and accuracy. Kothari points out that some catalogs, like the L.D. Vidyamandir's, include biographical introductions for authors that appear to be borrowed from other sources, sometimes leading to factual errors. He contrasts this with his own approach for the Sahityakosh, where meticulous verification was paramount.
Errors in Transcription: Kothari notes that errors in manuscript reading are common across all catalogs. He cites specific examples of incorrect author and work names in the L.D. Vidyamandir and B.J. Institute catalogs, and misattributions in the Patan Hemchandracharya Jnanamandir catalog.
Catching Errors: Descriptive catalogs, by providing excerpts, allow readers to identify errors in transcription and interpretation. He uses an example from the Kavi Ishwar Dalpatram catalog where "Ravisut" was misinterpreted as an author's lineage when it was actually the day of the week (Saturday).

Improving Catalog Quality:

Kothari suggests two key strategies for ensuring more accurate and useful manuscript catalogs:

Descriptive Catalogs: Emphasizes the need for descriptive catalogs that include excerpts from the beginning and end of works. This provides a crucial check on the cataloger's work. He expresses disappointment that even well-equipped research institutions struggle to produce such catalogs.
Collaborative Effort: Proposes that cataloging should be a collaborative effort involving a team of 2-3 individuals who review each other's work, preferably under the guidance of an expert. He recounts a personal instance where he offered to oversee such a project, but it did not materialize.

Conclusion and Call to Action:

Kothari concludes by expressing his disappointment with the generally poor quality of many contemporary manuscript catalogs. He contrasts them with the high standards set by earlier scholars like M.D. Desai and Ambalal Jani, whose catalogs were rich repositories of information. He laments that despite increased resources, current institutions have failed to maintain these standards. He calls for a renewed focus on meticulousness and expertise in creating these essential guides to literary heritage, expressing a faint hope that someone will take up this crucial task.

The article ends with a list of prominent printed manuscript catalogs, both Gujarati and those including Gujarati works, acknowledging that others might exist but were not recalled at the time of writing.