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INTRODUCTION TO THE PANCARATRA AND THE AHIRBUDHNYA SAMHIT - 1916 - PREFATORY NOTE - THE book, small in size bat rich in contents, which is herewith placed before the public, has been written by a prisoner of war during his captivity at Ahmednagar, though some of the materials on which it is based had, fortunately, been collected by him before the War broke out. Only three of the Saphit, . MSS. of the Adyar Library, namely those of nos. S, 70 and 195 of the synopsi o n pp. G fll., which were acquired recently, have rernaincd entirely unknown to Dr. Schrader. The burden of seeing the work through the press has fallen on the undersigned who, though having done all in his power to acquit himself honourably of his task, is fully aware of its difficulties and of the inadequacy of his knowledge of Sanskrit to cope with these with cornplete success. I t was impossible under such circnmstances to produce an absolutely faultless work still, a glance at the list of Additions and Corrections will show that the purely typographical errors found by the Author in the printed sheets are of a trifling nature. Two omissions in the MS., however, have caused a few words of importance to fall out which must be restored at once. These omissions are given in the Errata for p. 16, 1. 12 from bottom, p. 32 1. G from bottom, and p. 42 1. 10. The reader sl ould also correct immediately the erratum for p. 24. The Author has undoubtedly doubled the value of his monograph by adding to it copious Indexes and a detailed syilopsis of the contents. Together they render the B whole of the subject-matter of the book in all its categories instantaneously available for reference. Thus the vorkm ay preliminarily serve as aconcise but encyclop d i c reference book on the Paficaratra, until it shall be superseded by subsequent rnore exhaustive publications. The Nllnleral Index contains some iterns not found elsewhere in the book. A personal word in conclusion. The publication of this little work coincides with the severance of the connection tvitll the Adyar Library-though for wholly different reasons-of both Dr. Schrader arid myself. I may be permitted to express here my great satisfaction at having had the privilege of watching over the booklet on its way through the press, a last service rendered to the Adyar Library in close and pleasant co-operation with Dr. Schrader, which puts a term to a period of over seven years daily collaboration with the same aims, in the same spirit and in complete harmony, for the same object. May Dr. Schraclers last official work performed for the Library enhance the renown of that Institution, and may it be judged to constitute a fit conclusion to his eleveii years tenure of office as Director of the Adyar Library. The publication of this book also, as that of the two volumes of the text edition of Ahirbudhnya Saqlhita, has been greatly facilitated by the courtesy of the military censors at Ahrnednagar, to whom our sincere thanks are due. ADYA, JOHAN VAN MANEN, dicgzcst 191 6. Assistn zt Direct r, Adyar Library. LIST OF CONrIENIS PACE INTRODUCTORY REMARK . 1 I. THE TJITEI ATURE OF THE PAXCARBI RAS .2-26 Inspired and non-inspired literature . 2 Phe name SamhitB and its synonyms . 2 Knowledge of the Piificarstra in the West, etc . 3 Lists of Samhitas . . 3 Synopsis of five lists . . 6 Samhitiis not mentioned in the lists . . 11 Samhit, s present in Libraries . . 12 Editionsof Samhitiis ., l3 Extent of Samhitk literature. . . 14 Chronology. . . 14 Provenience and diffusion . . . . 16 Ternzinl s a tl pcenz of original Sa1nhit is . . 19 Three classes of Samhitcs . . 19 Chronological table of chief Sayhitiis . . 20 Later additions in the lists. ...