Skt.lexicography

[kellner at ue.ipc.hiroshima-u.ac.jp]

Going back to Mejor's article, what gave me more thoughts than
his detailled lexicographic criticism was the last paragraph,
especially the following passage:

" ...it should also be remarked that the whole enterprise was based
(almost) exclusively on local resources: the Editorial Board by and
wide are scholars from the Deccan College, Poona, and the editions
used for excerption are for the most part those produced in India."
(StII 16/17:159f.)

I am not sure whether this corresponds to Mejor's original
intentions, but then, since it is my "daily bread" to ascribe
original intentions to authors who passed away centuries ago,
I might as well take a "living object" once in a while -

I would like to read this as a statement on the impossibility
of Big Lexicography as a small enterprise, which would amount
to the Lexicographer's mantra "think global, act global", which
would necessitate more, more and ever so more international
cooperation....

Apart from this direction of thought - has anybody from the Poona's
editorial board ever responded to Mejor's (small) criticism of the
(big) dictionnary? Or, perhaps, would India-based scholars
on this list like to elaborate on the practical difficulties
they encounter in the course of similar projects?

Birgit Kellner
Institute for Indian Philosophy
University of Hiroshima