Critical Studies in the Mahabharata (V. S. Sukthankar Memorial Edition, Vol. I) c2: Preface
Critical Studies in the Mahābhārata (V. S. Sukthankar Memorial Edition, Vol. I) c2
- Language
- English
Preface
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The Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute was founded in 1915. The first verse of the Mahābhārata was written by Sir R. G. BHANDARKAR on 1st April 1919 while inaugurating the work of the Institute on the Critical Edition of the Mahābhārata. On 4th August 1925 Dr. V. S. SUKTHANKAR took charge of this work as its General Editor and reorganized it on a sound basis. For the subsequent 17 years he worked on it with an eagle eye and mature scholarship bringing international honour to himself and to the Institute. In 1940, the British Academy, London, put its seal of approval on Dr. SUKTHANKAR’S work on this edition. On the 4th January 1943, the Institute conferred on Dr. SUKTHANKAR a Distinguished Services Medal in recognition of his unique services to the Institute as the helmsman of its work on the Mahābhārata on the occasion of its Silver Jubilee celebrations. On 5th January 1943, Dr. SUKTHANKAR read his statement on the Critical Edition of the Mahābhārata before the delegates for the Silver Jubilee celebrations and other audience in the Tata Hall of the Institute. This statement has proved to be his last testament more valuable than Aristotle’s will as it is a national testament. I quote from it a few sentences which contain Dr. SUKTHANKAR’S message about the Mahābhārata :—
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“ The part of the Epic critically dealt with so far is, I imagine, in bulk about four times as great as the Greek Epics, Iliad and Odyssey put together and one and a half times as our Rāmāyaṇa.”
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“ All good work costs money now-a-days! Good manuscripts cost money. Good printing costs money. Good editors cost money.”
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“ Amid the deepest strands that are woven in the thread of our civilization there is more than one that is drawn originally from Bhāratavarṣa and from Sanskrit literature and well in the centre of this vast mass of literature, there stands this deathless traditional book of divine inspiration, unapproachable and far removed from possibilities of human constitution.”
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“ We must therefore grasp this great book with both hands and face it squarely. Then we shall recognise that it is our past which has prolonged itself into the present. We are it : I mean the real WE! Shall we be guilty of strangling our own soul? NEVER!”
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These stirring words were read out by Dr. SUKTHANKAR on the evening of the 5th of January and within a fortnight he passed away after a brief illness on the evening of 21st January 1943! Truth is stranger than fiction!!
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Such in brief is the outline of Dr. SUKTHANKAR’S association with the Institute’s Critical Edition of the Great Epic, which he aptly styled as “ the Content of our Collective Unconscious ” and in which he finally merged his being after spending every moment of his conscious life in revising his type-script of the last of his lectures on the Mahābhārata he was to deliver before the University of Bombay on the following day !
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In striking him down within sight of his chosen goal, Death pierced the base of consciousness, cutting at the very joint of body and mind. No preparation for the end, no inspiring last words, were possible. Yet, those of us who knew SUKTHANKAR intimately cannot doubt that the sentiments of Valiant would also have been his own had he received the summons of an approaching end to life’s journey. “ Though with great difficulty I am got hither, yet now I do not repent me of all the trouble. My sword I give to him that shall succeed me in the pilgrimage, and my courage and skill to him that can get it. My marks and scars I carry with me, to be a witness for me, that I have fought His battles Who will be my Rewarder.” This memorial volume represents the sword, the keen splendid-tempered image of his intellect, that he bequeathed to him that has the courage and skill to wield it. If there be such a person, undaunted by the forces of darkness, let him grasp firm the hilt and smite on.
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Side by side with his text-critical work on the Mahābhārata Dr. SUKTHANKAR kept on studying its content and inner meaning and for that purpose studied many books on Philosophy and Religion. While I was editing the *Review of Philosophy and Religion* between 1930 and 1937, I received numerous books on these subjects for review. Dr. SUKTHANKAR seemed very much interested in many of them and he actually ordered some of them for his own library. I was first under the impression that Dr. SUKTHANKAR perused these books with a view to get a little diversion to his mind after his fatiguing work on the text of the Mahābhārata day after day for years without rest. I was however thoroughly surprised when he disclosed to me his scheme of lectures on the Mahābhārata which he finally prepared for being delivered before the University of Bombay and before completing which he took our final leave with a “ Forget-me-not ” emphasis ! The mystical vein noticed by the audience in those lectures was mainly due to the psychological changes gradually brought about in the mind of the great Savant during the ten years prior to these lectures.
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The idea of bringing out a Memorial Edition of Dr. SUKTHANKAR’s published writings was first discussed by myself and my learned friends Dr. S. M. KATRE and Prof. D. D. KOSAMBI with Dr. Mrs. MALINIBAI B. SUKTHANKAR, M.B.B.S. and the sons of Dr. SUKTHANKAR immediately after Dr. SUKTHANKAR’s demise. With the substantial support promised by the Sukthankar family a Memorial Edition Committee was formed with Shrimant Balasaheb PANT Pratinidhi, B.A. the Raja Saheb of Aundh as its Chairman and Diwan-Bahadur K. M. JHAVERI, M.A., LL.B., J.P. as its Vice-Chairman. With the assured support of these two great friends of Dr. SUKTHANKAR and with the guaranteed voluntary co-operation of my esteemed friends Dr. KATRE and Prof. KOSAMBI, it was easy for me to secure the support of the innumerable friends of Dr. SUKTHANKAR all over India and outside for the work of the Memorial Edition as will be seen from the Personnel of the Memorial Edition Committee which accompanies this Preface. A printed Appeal was subsequently issued by me on behalf of the Committee and circulated among scholars and institutions interested in the Memorial Edition. The response to this appeal from the numerous friends and admirers of Dr. SUKTHANKAR was extremely encouraging and the First Volume of the Memorial Edition that is being presented to the public today is a visible embodiment of this spontaneous response and a permanent Souvenir of the good will left behind by an Indian scholar who sacrificed himself on the altar of the Mahābhārata.
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The valuable and scholarly contents of the present volume speak for themselves and will continue to speak with greater resonance as years pass by. As observed by Prof. EDGERTON they are the product of Dr. SUKTHANKAR’s knowledge and experience (Jñānam Savijñānam) and his native ability which made reputation in three Continents. Dr. SUKTHANKAR’s literary life was a life of planned action, in which every detail was scrupulously worked out and revised many times before it saw the light of the day. Every page of the Critical Edition of the Mahābhārata and the Critical Epic Studies that are being presented to the scholars to-day under one cover bear the stamp of his scholarship and fully illustrate the common adage :—" If a thing is worth doing, it is worth doing well ". His Prolegomena to the Ādiparvan of the Mahābhārata, the bed-rock of the Mahābhārata Textual Criticism, was much in demand since its publication. It is being published separately for the first time in the present volume along with the other Epic Studies of Dr. SUKTHANKAR and thus brought within the means of individual research scholars through the favour of the authorities of the B. O. R. Institute. I feel confident that this First Volume of Dr. SUKTHANKAR Memorial Edition will stimulate the study of the Indian Textual Criticism on which the attention of Indian scholars has been now focussed by Dr. KATRE’s able Introduction to Indian Textual Criticism (1940), which owes much to Dr. SUKTHANKAR’s inspiration and guidance.
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It now remains for me to record my feelings of gratitude for the unstinted co-operation I have received from several friends and learned bodies in bringing out this First Volume of the V. S. Sukthankar Memorial Edition. My cordial thanks are due to the authorities of the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, many of whom are members of the Memorial Edition Committee, for their kind permission to include in the present volume the *Prolegomena* and other *Introductions* to the *Critical Edition of the Mahābhārata* as also Dr. SUKTHANKAR’S *Epic Studies* published in the *Annals* of the Institute. Special thanks are due to Principal J. R. GHARPURE, B.A., LL.B., the Chairman of the Executive Board and Dr. R. N. DANDEKAR, M.A., PH.D., the Secretary of the Institute who is also the Editor of the *Annals*, for their uniform courtesy and kindness in securing the above permission. To Dr. S. K. BELVALKAR, M.A., PH.D., the present General Editor of the Mahābhārata, I am particularly thankful for keeping at my disposal a copy of *Epic Studies No. VI* which he found in Dr. SUKTHANKAR’S office papers at the Institute. *This copy duly revised by Dr. SUKTHANKAR in his own hand has been incorporated in the present volume.* Evidently Dr. SUKTHANKAR had an intention to revise all his *Epic Studies* in course of time and then publish them in their final form after the completion of his work on the Great Epic. Providence, however, decreed otherwise! As regards the other contributions of Dr. SUKTHANKAR included in the present volume I tender my most grateful thanks—
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(1) To the authorities of the K. R. Cama Oriental Institute, Bombay, and the Editorial Board of *Sir J. J. Modi Volume* for permission to include Dr. SUKTHANKAR’S paper on “Arjunamiśra” in this Edition.
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(2) To Mr. B. T. ANKLESARIA, M.A. the Hon. Secretary of the K. R. Cama Institute for drawing my attention to the two papers of Dr. SUKTHANKAR viz. (i) Arjunamiśra and (ii) An Excursion on the Periphery of Indological Research and in securing the necessary permission of the authorities of his Institute for their inclusion in the present Edition. Mr. ANKLESARIA had collaborated with Dr. SUKTHANKAR for a number of years in connection with his work for the Cama Institute and his hearty co-operation in this work by the free supply of the press-copies of the two papers of Dr. SUKTHANKAR mentioned above deserves my best thanks.
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(3) To the Editors of the *Festchrift Prof. P. V. Kane* and Dr. R. N. SARDESAI, L.C.P.S., Proprietor, Oriental Book Agency, Poona, its publisher, for permission to include Dr. SUKTHANKAR’S paper on “Rāmopākhyāna” in this Volume.
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(4) To the authorities of the Deccan College Post-graduate and Research Institute, Poona and in particular Dr. S. M. KATRE, M.A., PH.D. its present Director and Editor of their *Bulletin* for their permission to include Dr. SUKTHANKAR’S paper on “Epic Question I—Did Indra assume the form of a Swan?” in this Volume.
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(5) To the Editors of *Feschrift Dr. F. W. Thomas* and its publisher Mr. M. N. KULKARNI, the Manager of the Karnatak Publishing House, Bombay for their permission to publish Dr. SUKTHANKAR’S paper on “Rāmāyaṇa and Nalopākhyāna” in this Volume.
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(6) To the authorities, Bombay Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society for permission to include Epic Studies I : ‘Some Text-Critical Notes’ in this Volume.
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Every scholar who came into personal contact with Dr. SUKTHANKAR knows quite well how he loved not only the substantial contents of any scholarly publication but also its scientific and dignified presentation. He believed in the identity of Truth, Beauty and Dignity in the publication of all scholarly work worth the name. The volumes of the Critical Edition of the Mahābhārata are a visible embodiment of Dr. SUKTHANKAR’S ideal in this respect. A good edition according to Dr. SUKTHANKAR must be good both within and without, and we have tried to make the present Memorial Edition as good as possible within the means at our disposal. But *good Editions cost money*, said Dr. SUKTHANKAR in his last public statement and the credit of achieving any goodness in the present Memorial Edition must go to those donors, subscribers and contributors who have contributed their mite towards this Edition out of sheer love and appreciation for the national work of the departed scholar as will be seen from the list of these contributors (vide Appendix). Space forbids me to thank all these contributors individually. I shall however, be failing in my duty if I do not indicate here the generosity of the following contributors but for whose spontaneous response it would have been impossible for the Memorial Edition Committee to proceed with the work of the Edition :—
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Rs. 650—Dr. Mrs. Malinibai B. Sukthankar, M.B.B.S. and other members of the Sukthankar family, Bombay.
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Rs. 150—University of Bombay.
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Rs. 100—Shrimant Balasaheb Pant Pratinidhi, B.A., Raja Saheb of Aundh, Aundh.
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Rs. 100—Right Hon’ble Dr. M. R. Jayakar, Bombay.
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Rs. 100—B. J. Wadia, M.A., LL.B., Vice-Chancellor, University of Bombay, Bombay.
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Rs. 100—Sir Chunilal B. Mehta, KT., J.P. and Lady Tapibai C. Mehta, Bombay.
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On the completion of the Memorial Edition it is proposed to publish a full report of the work of the Committee where all contributions and donations will be specified in detail.
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I started my work in connection with the Sukthankar Memorial Edition with the assured initial support of Dr. Mrs. Malinibai B. Sukthankar and other members of the Sukthankar family. This support was further strengthened by the formation of a representative Memorial Edition Committee consisting of numerous friends and admirers of Dr. Sukthankar in different parts of India and outside. This support, encouraging as it was for an inexperienced man like myself, made me confident enough about the success of this enterprise but I became absolutely fearless in my work when the two great friends of Dr. Sukthankar, I mean Shrimant Raja Saheb of Aundh and Dewan Bahadur K. M. Jhaveri agreed to guide me in this work as the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Memorial Edition Committee respectively. Their high regard for our National Epic and its Epic Editor Dr. Sukthankar has been responsible in no small way for the publication of the Epic Studies of Dr. Sukthankar appearing today in the form of the First Volume of the Sukthankar Memorial Edition. On 5th January 1943, Dr. Sukthankar referred to the Rajasaheb of Aundh in the following glowing terms :—
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"If you want me to point out just one man who is responsible for originating and furthering the project (of the Mahābhārata) he is sitting in front of you, I mean Shrimant Balasaheb Pant Pratinidhi, the Raja of Aundh."
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We are fortunate in having in our midst today, the first anniversary of Dr. Sukthankar's demise, this very enlightened Rajasaheb, now in the 76th year to guide all our literary projects with undaunted zeal and optimism. I cannot adequately thank the Rajasaheb and other friends for their spontaneous and active co-operation in the work of this Edition.
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I began my work in connection with the Memorial Edition with the guaranteed collaboration of my personal friends Dr. S. M. Katre, M.A., PH.D. and Prof. D. D. Kosambi, M.A. These friends have fulfilled their guarantee to the very letter as they have been responsible for the entire editing of the First Volume and all credit for the careful and accurate editing of the Volume goes to them. During their personal contact with Dr. Sukthankar they knew perfectly well what good editing meant according to Dr. Sukthankar's highly critical standards and consequently the good editing of the present Volume owes everything to them as they have carried out at great inconvenience to themselves all the arduous work of seeing the Volume through the press. Though these friends have done all this labour of love out of their high sense of appreciation and respect for the work of Dr. SUKTHANKAR and though they are the members of the Memorial Committee, I take this opportunity of thanking them most cordially for their disinterested service to Indology in helping the Memorial Edition Committee to bring out the present Volume in the best possible form and get up.
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Dr. SUKTHANKAR was connected with the University of Bombay in several capacities for more than two decades. His cordial relations with all the authorities of the University are evident not only from the grant sanctioned by the Syndicate towards the costs of this Edition but by the personal generosity of the Vice-Chancellor, the Registrar, the Deputy Registrar, the Librarian and many other office-bearers of the University. I am deeply touched by their prompt and spontaneous response to my appeal regarding this Edition and I convey to all these friends of Dr. SUKTHANKAR at the premier academic body of the province the grateful thanks of the Memorial Committee for their sincere appreciation of the work of the Committee.
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In concluding this preface I must record the valuable services rendered to the Memorial Edition by Mr. M. N. KULKARNI, the enterprising Manager of the Karntak Publishing House, Bombay, but for whose high regard for Dr. SUKTHANKAR and spontaneous co-operation on the very day this scheme was discussed we would not have dreamt of undertaking this Edition at a time when the extraordinary high cost of printing and the scarcity of paper had chilled all academic enterprises in this country. Like my esteemed friends Dr. KATRE and PROF. KOSAMBI, Mr. KULKARNI has fulfilled his guarantee also to the letter by publishing this First Volume of the Memorial Edition most promptly and efficiently and thus kept up the high traditions of his Publishing House for excellent printing and typography, which are absolutely essential for good editing according to the standards of Dr. SUKTHANKAR.
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In presenting this first volume of the Sukthankar Memorial Edition to-day, the first anniversary of Dr. SUKTHANKAR’s lamented demise, the Memorial Committee has completed half of its promised work. Though I am thankful to all my colleagues on the Memorial Committee for their continuous co-operation so far, I must reserve my final thanks to them to a future date when the Second Volume of this Edition is completed and presented to the public.
Linked texts (2)
- Mahābhārata — Vyāsa, Sanskrit
- Vālmīkirāmāyaṇa — Vālmīki, Sanskrit