Bhandarkar Report 1904
BHANDAKAR REPORT on the search of Prākṛit and Saṃskṛit manuscripts 1904 [37 of 69]
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37. But about the Maharajah's library I learnt nothing until two days previous to that on which I left Jaipur, I got word then from the Senior Member that the Maharajah had granted permission for the Pothikhana being shown to me the next morning. I went and saw to my disappointment not more than about 25 bundles or so. Not a few of them contained only one manuscript written in big letters and most of the manuscripts were but recent copies. The works were mostly Purāṇas, Stotras and Māhātmyas. One of the manuscripts was a copy of Max Muller's edition of the Ṛigveda Saṁhitā with Sāyaṇa's commentary. Manuscript copies like this of printed editions I had previously seen being made by a number of copyists in an outer room of the place into which I was shown that day. But there was one thing that surprised me When previously I had a talk about the Maharajah's private library with the Senior Member, I understood him to say that it contained only a few manuscripts which, as they pertained to His Highness's devotional and spiritual exercises. His Highness wanted to be kept unpolluted by the profane touch of a stranger. Another high state official did not refer to this pollution at all, when I had a similar talk with him before, but said that none but illiterate persons were allowed to go near the manuscripts. And yet for whatever real reason the manuscripts were not exposed to the touch or the gaze of a stranger, they had slips of paper attached to them bearing their names in Sanskrit of course, but in English also. There was a manuscript of the Siddhānta-Samrāṭ, I had expected to find in the library, but did not. Under exceptional circumstances Dr. Peterson,[1] I have been assured, had come to know of its existence in the widely reputed but jealously guarded private library of the Maharajah and had even borrowed it for some tune.
[continuation … → … https://www.om-arham.org/blog/view/9559/bhandarkar-report-1904]
[1] See the reports of Dr. Peterson, there are at least 4 reports by him, two of them are available by the following links:
and
