Samanya Pandulipi Vigyan

Here's a comprehensive summary of the Jain text "Samanya Pandulipivigyan" by Mahavirprasad Sharma, based on the provided pages:

Book Title: Samanya Pandulipivigyan (General Manuscriptology) Author: Dr. Mahavirprasad Sharma Publisher: Apbhramsa Sahitya Academy, Jainvidya Sansthan, Digamber Jain Atishay Kshetra Shri Mahavirji, Rajasthan

Overall Purpose and Context:

"Samanya Pandulipivigyan" is a foundational text aimed at making the complex subject of manuscriptology accessible to a wider audience, including students. It was published by the Apbhramsa Sahitya Academy, established by the Digamber Jain Atishay Kshetra Shri Mahavirji, to promote and teach Apbhramsa and Prakrit languages through correspondence. The book acknowledges the critical importance of manuscripts for preserving the knowledge and culture of past generations.

Structure and Content:

The book is divided into an introduction (Vishay-Pravesh) and eight chapters, covering various aspects of manuscriptology.

Introduction (Vishay-Pravesh):

• General Information: It highlights the current crisis facing ancient handwritten materials due to difficulties in reading and understanding them. It emphasizes the need for "manuscript scientists" who can decipher these materials and linguists who understand ancient language forms.
• Historical Context of Manuscriptology: It briefly touches upon the global development of manuscriptology, noting more work has been done in the West. In India, it credits Dr. Gaurishankar Hirachand Ojha, Jain scholars like Muni Punyavijay, and Hindi scholars like Dr. Mataprasad Gupta, Dr. Hazariprasad Dwivedi, and Dr. Satyendra (whose 1978 "Pandulipivigyan" is considered a guiding light for university students).
• Definition and Scope: It defines manuscriptology as the study of written materials, encompassing everything from cave inscriptions and rock edicts to palm-leaf manuscripts and paper documents. It clarifies that the focus here is on book-writing traditions.
• Manuscript Types: It categorizes manuscripts based on their "lipyasans" (writing bases) from ancient to more recent times:
  1. Guhaalekh or Bhitti Chitras (Cave Inscriptions/Wall Paintings): Using stones, dating back as far as 300,000 BCE.
  2. Mridā (Clay) Inscriptions: On bricks.
  3. Papyras Inscriptions: Initially as scrolls, later developed into pages.
  4. Kaashtha-Patti Inscriptions (Wooden Tablets): For ease of writing and erasing, with wax tablets used in the West.
  5. Charm-Patra or Parchment: Used from the 1st century CE, leading to the "Codex" form (precursors to modern bound books).
• The Science of Manuscriptology: It explains that manuscriptology addresses the problems arising from the various elements involved in manuscript creation (author, pen, writing base, ink) and their subsequent copying.
• Expectations from a Manuscriptologist: It lists responsibilities such as finding manuscripts (regional research), identifying locations, compiling different texts, dating manuscripts, analyzing writing bases and inks, studying scripts and their historical background, interpreting content and style, understanding manuscript types, tracing manuscript circulation, studying script evolution, identifying scribes, interpreting script features, verifying authenticity, text criticism, text reconstruction, analyzing words and meanings, and manuscript preservation.
• Facets of Manuscriptology: It identifies three main aspects: Writing (creation process), Presentation of the Manuscript, and Communication.
• Need for Manuscriptology: It emphasizes the necessity of scientific study for the vast collections of manuscripts to understand their content and solve associated problems.
• Relationship with Other Sciences: It details the interdisciplinary nature of manuscriptology, outlining its connections with:
  1. Diplomatics: Study of historical documents, charters, etc., for authenticity and purpose.
  2. Palaeography: Science of reading, dating, and analyzing ancient writings on various bases (including Epigraphy for stone/metal inscriptions).
  3. Linguistics: Essential for deciphering and understanding the language, grammar, and vocabulary of manuscripts.
  4. Astrology: Crucial for determining the age of manuscripts through calendars, astrological charts, etc.
  5. Archaeology: Provides context and materials for manuscript study.
  6. Poetics (Sahitya Shastra): Helps in understanding literary aspects like meaning, meter, figures of speech, and aesthetic sentiment.
  7. Library Science: Important for organizing, cataloging, and preserving manuscripts.
  8. History: Provides the backdrop for understanding the context of manuscripts.
  9. Research Methodology: Essential for discovering and collecting manuscripts.
  10. Textual Criticism (Paathalochan Vigyan): For establishing the original text from various copies.
• Manuscript Libraries (Agars): It provides an extensive list of ancient and some Indian manuscript collections and museums, highlighting their historical significance and the types of manuscripts they house. It also mentions the existence of the "Pandulipi Sangrahalaya" at Shri Mahavirji.
• Modern Manuscript Libraries: It differentiates between Archives, Museums, and Manuscript Libraries (Agraharas), with the latter primarily serving researchers.

Chapter 1: Manuscript Creation Process:

• Overview: Discusses the ancient religious and ritualistic origins of writing, from Vedic texts to Egyptian "Book of the Dead." It notes the importance of auspiciousness in the creation process.
• Key Aspects of Manuscript Creation:
  1. Author (Lekhak): The role of the author, their qualities, and the early importance of being a writer. It cites ancient texts that define the responsibilities of a writer.
  2. Physical Materials: Essential components include the writing base (lipyasana - papyrus, brick, stone, palm leaf, birch leaf, metal, parchment, cloth, paper), ink (masi), writing instruments (quill, pen, stylus, nail), thread, wooden boards, covers (veshtan), binding knots (granthi), and erasing agents (hartal).
  3. Script and Scribe (Lipi aur Lipikarta): The importance of the scribe, their skills, and the use of script. It mentions ancient texts guiding scribes.
• Author and Scribe: Discusses the historical roles and importance of authors and scribes, noting their frequent overlap and the involvement of specific communities like Brahmins and Kayasthas. It provides examples of scribes like "Brahmin Indramani."
• Qualities of Author/Scribe: Cites ancient texts (Matsya Purana, Garuda Purana) emphasizing the need for knowledge of all scripts and sciences, wisdom, integrity, and ethical conduct.
• Importance of the Scribe: Highlights the scribe's crucial role in preserving knowledge, noting the development of "scriptoria" in ancient monasteries and the meticulous work of scribes, sometimes enhanced by illustrators.
• Types of Scribes: Lists ten types of scribes based on their affiliation or purpose.
• Errors in Transcription and Their Consequences: Discusses how errors (intentional or unintentional) by scribes can lead to misinterpretations and the importance of addressing these errors for text restoration. It provides examples of reading errors.
• Purpose of Manuscript Error Correction: To rectify transcription errors and restore the original intent (Uddeshya).
• Causes of Transcription Errors: Explains errors arise from misreading, character similarity, word similarity, misunderstanding of signs, lack of clarity in writing, repetition, reliance on memory, auditory errors, and misinterpretation of marginal notes.
• Script Variations and Corrections: Details numerous specific changes and variations found in scripts from the 15th to 20th centuries in Nagari script, including changes in vowels, consonants, conjuncts, and symbolic marks. It explains common practices for insertions, deletions, and corrections.
• "Uddeshya" (Purpose): Explains why the "Uddeshya" (purpose or intention behind the writing) is recorded in manuscripts (e.g., scribe's guru, location, time, reason for writing, recipient) and how this information can help in textual analysis and reliability assessment.
• Textual Errors from "Uddeshya" Factors: Discusses how personal biases, regional influences, devotional fervor, or specific commissions can lead to intentional alterations in texts.
• Writing Process (Script): Discusses the divine origin attributed to scripts and languages, the sacredness of writing in ancient India, and script evolution from pictograms to phonetic scripts.
• Writing Traditions: Covers directions of writing (left-to-right, right-to-left, top-to-bottom), layout (alignment), connected script (milita shabdavali), punctuation, and pagination.
• Corrections and Symbols: Details various correction marks and symbols used in manuscripts.
• Abbreviations: Lists common abbreviations used in ancient texts.
• Numeric Symbols: Explains the use of words to represent numbers in dating inscriptions and manuscripts, providing extensive lists of synonyms for digits and their potential interpretations, which can lead to dating ambiguities.
• Other Specific Traditions: Mentions practices like Mangalacharan (auspicious beginnings), illumination, invocations, blessings, eulogies, colophons, imprecations, scribe's vows, and auspicious/inauspicious omens associated with writing.
• Ink: Discusses the history and types of inks used, their preparation, and precautions, including the use of colored inks and inks made from specific materials for different purposes.
• Painting and Colors: Discusses the role of illustration and decoration in manuscripts, highlighting the development of "Apabhramsa style" and its contribution to Jain manuscript art.
• Importance of Illustrated Manuscripts: Explains their value for historical, artistic, and cultural studies.
• Poetry and Painting: Discusses the complementary relationship between poetry and painting, citing examples of illustrated poems and treatise on painting techniques.
• Other Manuscript Creation Tools: Mentions instruments like ruling boards, threads, and protectors for manuscripts.

Chapter 2: Efforts for Manuscript Acquisition and Regional Research:

• Foundation: Emphasizes manuscript acquisition and regional research as the starting point for manuscriptology.
• Levels of Research: Differentiates between research at the library level (religious, governmental, academic) and private levels.
• Importance of Regional Research: Highlights the significant contribution of regional research in uncovering manuscripts, especially from Rajasthan and Gujarat, with special mention of Jain libraries.
• Types of Researchers: Categorizes researchers into high-level scholars, explorers/agents, and commercial collectors.
• Qualities of a Regional Researcher: Outlines essential qualities like intelligence, sociability, understanding of human nature, trustworthiness, knowledge of local customs, and even basic knowledge of astrology, palmistry, or healing to build rapport and gain access to manuscripts.
• Researcher's Duties: Stresses the need for maintaining a research diary, systematically documenting findings (village, person, manuscript details), and striving to obtain manuscripts through donation or purchase, considering their historical and artistic value.
• Manuscript Description Format: Outlines a structured format for describing manuscripts, dividing it into:
  • External Description (Bahirang Vivaran): Size, number of pages, script style, ink, layout, paper type, completeness, etc.
  • Internal Description (Antarang Vivaran): Author, work's purpose, origin, language, script, scribe details, colophons, excerpts from the beginning, middle, and end.
• Presentation Formats: Provides examples of manuscript description formats used by scholars like H.P. Shastri, L.P. Tessitori, Motilal Menariya, and Dr. H.L. Maheshwari, and proposes the author's own methodology.
• Additional Details for Description: Includes aspects like manuscript preservation (binding, casing), manuscript format (Pothi, Gutka, Bahī), paper type and quality, script details, number of lines/words per page, calligraphy, illustrations, ink type, and author/scribe information.
• Comparative Study: Briefly touches on the need for comparative study of manuscripts.
• Fake/Counterfeit Manuscripts: Warns researchers about the prevalence of fake manuscripts and the need for careful examination.

Chapter 3: Types of Manuscripts:

• Broad Categorization: Divides manuscripts broadly into governmental and non-governmental, and then by writing base.
• By Lipyasana (Writing Base):
  • Hard Lipyasans (Utkirna - Engraved): Stone (rock inscriptions, stone slabs, pillars of various types), clay (bricks, seals), shell/ivory, copper plates (in various forms like scrolls, books, engravings on metal objects), gold/silver plates, and other metals.
  • Soft Lipyasans (Likhita - Written): Palm leaves (Taadpatri), birch leaves (Bhojpatri), cloth (Patiy), parchment (Charmpatri), wooden tablets (Kaashthiya), and paper (Kaagziya).
• Types of Palm Leaf Manuscripts: Discusses North Indian (written) and South Indian (engraved) traditions and regional distribution.
• Types of Birch Leaf Manuscripts: Mentions their prevalence in Kashmir and provides examples of ancient works.
• Cloth Manuscripts: Describes the process of preparing cloth for writing, the use of Tantric diagrams, and the development of illustrated scrolls ("Pachwai") and scrolls for specific deities.
• Parchment Manuscripts: Notes their use in India, mainly for binding, but their widespread use in Western and Central Asian cultures.
• Wooden Manuscripts: Discusses the use of wooden tablets and decorative wooden panels.
• Paper Manuscripts: Traces the introduction of paper in India and its widespread adoption, mentioning various regional paper types and their characteristics.
• Categorization by Size: Lists types like Gaṇḍī, Kachchpī, Muṣṭī, Samputphalak, and Chhedpāṭī.
• Categorization by Writing Style: Includes Tripat, Panchpat, and Shund.
• Categorization by Illustration: Discusses decorative versus contextually relevant illustrations.
• Categorization by Ink Type: Differentiates between manuscripts written with common inks (black/red) and those with gold/silver ink.
• Categorization by Letter Size: Explains the difference between manuscripts with fine (sūkṣmākṣarī) and large (sthūlākṣarī) script.
• Epigraphic Types: Briefly touches upon types of inscriptions (pillar, rock, cave, detached) and their classification.
• Methods and Materials for Taking Rubbings/Impressions: Provides a detailed guide on how to make impressions of inscriptions.

Chapter 4: Manuscript Script: Problems and Solutions:

• Importance of Script: Re-emphasizes the critical role of script in defining a manuscript and the need for manuscriptologists to understand script evolution and diversity.
• History of Scripts: Traces the development of scripts from pictograms to phonetic alphabets, mentioning various ancient scripts like Egyptian hieroglyphics, Mesopotamian cuneiform, and the evolution of the Indo-European script family.
• Indian Scripts: Discusses the origin and evolution of Brahmi and Kharosthi scripts, their characteristics, and their influence on subsequent Indian scripts.
• Devanagari and its Predecessors: Explains the lineage of the Devanagari script from Brahmi, highlighting intermediate scripts like Kutila and Gupta scripts.
• Brahmi Script: Details its significance, the controversy surrounding its origin (foreign vs. indigenous), and provides a reconstructed Brahmi alphabet.
• Prevalent Scripts in India: Lists numerous scripts mentioned in ancient texts, including regional and possibly imaginary ones, and categorizes them.
• Devanagari Script Problems: Discusses specific issues encountered in the Devanagari script, especially in manuscripts from Rajasthan, including:
  • Controversial Characters: Variations in characters like th/ch, th/d, ch/v, etc.
  • Confusing Characters: Examples of characters that can be easily misread.
  • Mistakes in Writing: Errors in vowels, conjuncts, and character forms.
  • Specific Character Marks: Use of dots below 'y' and 'v', absence of 'chandrabindu', use of 'kṣa' for 'kṣya', and the handling of 'ṅa' and 'ña'.
  • Punctuation: The infrequent use of commas, reliance on full stops (sometimes resembling visarga), and the practice of marginal notes for omitted text.
  • Omitted Characters/Text: Explains symbols and practices for indicating missing letters or lines.
  • Deletion Marks: How characters or text were marked for deletion.
  • Specific Letter Forms: Details various forms of vowels, conjuncts, and their historical evolution.
• Classification of Scripts: Discusses alphabetic vs. syllabic scripts and writing directions (left-to-right, right-to-left, top-to-bottom).

Chapter 5: Textual Criticism (Paathalochan):

• Original Text (Mulpath): Defines the original text and its importance for understanding the author's style, spelling, and for editing.
• Scribe's Contribution (Lipik ka Sarjan): Explains how scribes contribute to the lineage of a text, with each copy potentially introducing variations.
• Manuscript Family Tree (Vansh-Vriksh): Illustrates how multiple copies and sub-copies form a "family tree," aiding in tracking textual transmission.
• Non-Original Copies and Textual Criticism: Discusses how variations (errors, additions, omissions, interpolations) in subsequent copies necessitate textual criticism to identify the original or most authentic text.
• Importance of Word-Meaning in Textual Criticism: Highlights that understanding the meaning of words and their nuances is crucial for accurate textual analysis.
• Methods of Textual Criticism: Outlines three approaches: arbitrary text selection, comparative methods, and scientific methods.
• Textual Criticism Process: Details steps like collecting all available manuscripts, establishing a system of notation (using abbreviations for manuscripts, regions, scribes), comparing texts systematically, identifying variants, and reconstructing the original text.
• Bases for Comparison: Discusses methods for creating reference systems for manuscripts, including serial numbering, scribe-based systems, location-based systems, text-grouping systems, and fragment-based systems.
• Comparison of Texts: Explains how to compare verses and identify differences in words, spelling, and grammar.
• External and Internal Evidence: Discusses using external factors (historical context, author's other works) and internal evidence (consistency within the text, linguistic patterns) to validate readings.
• "Artha-Nyas" (Meaning-Based Interpretation): Emphasizes the role of understanding the intended meaning in resolving textual ambiguities, especially when dealing with unique or regional words.
• Original Text Reconstruction: Explains the process of reconstructing the original text, considering all available evidence and noting editorial suggestions in brackets.

Chapter 6: Dating of Manuscripts (Kaal-Nirnay):

• The Problem of Dating: Identifies dating as a crucial step after script decipherment, noting the challenge of manuscripts with or without explicit date indications.
• Types of Date Indications: Describes three primary methods for dating:
  1. Regnal Years: Based on the ruler's reign (e.g., Ashoka's edicts).
  2. Regular Calendars: Use of specific eras like the Saka era (often implied without explicit mention initially), Vikrama era, and others.
  3. Contemporary References: Dating based on mentions of known historical figures or events.
• Indian Calendar Systems: Discusses the historical progression and usage of various Indian calendars like the Saka era, Vikrama era, Gupta era, Harsha era, and others, highlighting the complexities arising from different starting points, lunar vs. solar calculations, and variations in month and day reckoning.
• Challenges in Dating: Enumerates difficulties such as:
  • Textual Variants: Differences in date indications across manuscript copies.
  • Reading Errors: Misinterpreting numerical words or dates.
  • Multiple Calendar Mentions: The confusion arising when multiple dating systems (e.g., Vikrama, Hijri, Saka) are used in a single text.
  • Uncertainty in Calendar Origins: Ambiguity about the exact start dates of certain eras.
  • Varying Month/Day Conventions: Differences in the start of the year (Chaitra vs. Kartik) and the reckoning of days (lunar phases).
  • Poetic License: Poets using wordplay for numerical dating, leading to multiple interpretations.
• Dating Without Explicit Dates: Explains methods for dating undated manuscripts using:
  • External Evidence: Mentions in other contemporary works, oral traditions, historical events, social conditions, cultural context, and information about the author or scribe.
  • Internal Evidence:
    • Material Aspects: Paper type, ink, script style, illumination, and general condition.
    • Content: Historical references, mentions of authors/rulers, descriptions of time periods, cultural practices, and social norms.
    • Linguistic Features: Grammar, vocabulary, and idiomatic expressions specific to certain periods.
  • Scientific Methods: Such as Carbon dating, soil analysis, tree-ring analysis, and dendrochronology.
• Problem of Poet Name Identification: Discusses the difficulty in identifying the correct author when names are similar, ambiguous, or when works are collaborative or attributed incorrectly. It cites examples like Surdas, Chand Bardai, and Bisaldev Raso.

Chapter 7: Word and Meaning: A Problem:

• Interdependence of Word and Meaning: Emphasizes that the true value of a manuscript lies in understanding the interplay of words and their meanings.
• Word Types: Briefly touches upon concepts of root words (Rudh), derived words (Yaugik), and words with conventional meanings (Yogarudh) from a linguistic perspective, although notes these are less critical for manuscriptology than textual variations.
• Problems with Manuscript Words: Details various issues encountered:
  • Connected Words (Milita Shabda): Difficulty in segmenting continuous lines of text into meaningful words.
  • Corrupted Words (Vikrit-Shabda): Errors in script, spelling, pronunciation, or scribal mistakes leading to altered words. Categorizes these errors (vowel, consonant, conjunct, graphic, ornamental, etc.).
  • Unfamiliar Words: Words whose meanings are unknown due to obscurity, regional dialect, or specialized terminology.
  • Grammatical Errors: Misinterpretation of grammatical structures affecting meaning.
  • Linguistic Interpretation Issues: Disagreements among scholars on the meaning of words based on language evolution.
  • Meaning-Based Interpretation (Artha-Nyas): How contextual meaning can help decipher difficult words.
  • Chhandanukulata (Meter-Based Variations): How poetic license in meter can alter word forms.
  • Regional and Temporal Variations in Meaning: How word meanings can change based on location and time.
• The Significance of Context: Stresses that understanding the context, period, and regional usage of words is vital for accurate interpretation.

Chapter 8: Manuscript Preservation (Maintenance):

• Necessity and Importance: Highlights the critical need to preserve manuscripts for future generations, acknowledging the diverse materials used for writing and their varying preservation needs.
• Causes of Manuscript Degradation: Discusses natural causes (climate, humidity, temperature) and man-made causes (war, neglect, insects, vandalism).
• Ancient Preservation Methods: Describes traditional practices like storing manuscripts in hidden cellars, protective casings, using insect repellents (camphor), and fostering a sense of reverence for books among readers.
• Modern Scientific Efforts: Discusses contemporary methods like microfilming, photostating, climate control (temperature and humidity management), and the establishment of conservation laboratories and institutes.
• Enemies of Manuscripts: Identifies key threats:
  • Mold and Fungus: Their growth conditions and methods of control.
  • Insects: Cockroaches, silverfish, bookworms, psocids, and termites, detailing the damage they cause and methods for their eradication (fumigation, pesticides, secure storage).
  • Mice: Prevention of entry and use of traps.
• Proper Care of Manuscripts: Provides practical advice on handling, cleaning, and storing manuscripts to prevent damage, including using appropriate tools and materials for repairs.

Author's Background and Motivation:

Dr. Mahavirprasad Sharma's personal journey is highlighted in the "Aarambhik va Prakashkiy" (Beginning and Editorial) and "Atmānivedan" (Author's Note) sections. His interest in manuscriptology stemmed from his PhD research on the "Origin and Development of Mewati" and subsequent survey work on manuscripts in the Torawati region. He received guidance from Dr. Satyendra and later became involved with the Apbhramsa Sahitya Academy, teaching manuscriptology. He states his aim was to present this complex subject in a simple, accessible style to fulfill a significant need.

Overall Contribution:

"Samanya Pandulipivigyan" serves as a comprehensive guide to the principles and practices of manuscriptology. It bridges the gap between academic research and practical understanding, making the subject approachable for students and general readers interested in the preservation and study of ancient Indian literature.