Info on Nirukta edns

[Ashok Aklujkar]

Dear Madhav,

Many thanks. The information you have so carefully supplied regarding
Jivananda's edn makes it likely that there were really no two edns and that
the mention of "second edn" in part III is inaccurate (or not intended in the
conventional sense of the phrase; see below). To have three parts published in
1891  and a second edition too in the same year (even if the second edn was
confined to part III) seems highly unlikely . The improbability increases when
one realises that Samasrami's edn, on which Jivananda draws according to at
least two independent sources, was completed in four vols published in 1882,
1885, 1886 and 1891. The completion of the Samasrami edn thus  coincides with
that of Jivananda's (entire) edn. Maybe, "second edn" is supposed to mean
'other than the one Samasrami just completed' for the Bibliotheca Indica
series. 

You write: >I think that the NighaNTu part was originally Part I, and I assume
that the Nirukta chapters were included as Part II, though they are bound in
one volume.... There is no title page available for part II in my copy.< This
guess seems correct. In Samsrami's edn too, the Nigha.n.tu with DR's comm is
vol. 1. Vol. 2 contains the Nirukta and Durga's comm (from the beginning to
the end of adhyaaya 4). However, the title of that vol does not reflect this
fact at all. It continues with the same title as in vol. 1. Probably,
therefore, the thought ofpart  2 occurred to Jivananda (or his assistant)
after the title page of what was supposed to be part/vol 1 was printed and
there was never a separate title page for part 2 (in other words, nothing is
probably missing from your bound vol. 1)  

What Jivananda seems to have done, as he has done in many of his other edns,
is to give a less expensive and more conveniently divided book (he preserves
the *aÝka division whereas Samasrami does not) based on someone else's editing
of the text. His is divided into two vols instead of Samasrami's four. His is
printed at the Sarasvati Printing Press, whereas Samasrami's is printed at the
European-run Baptist Mission Press. This might have been done through a formal
or informal agreement, but, as we know, taking over of a text established by
someone  is a very common phenomenon in Sanskrit-Prakrit studies. Very
commonly, this is done without even an acknowledgement. Jivananda's mission
was to take the texts to the people. ('If Yåska, DR and Durga did not receive
any royalties, why should Samasrami?'). His publications are the equivalents
of  pocket books and paperbacks of our times (with some differences, of
course). 

Madhav Deshpande wrote:
>         I do have the Jivananda Vidyasagara edition of Nirukta.  The first
> part, published in 1891 contains DevarAjayajvan's commentary and Durga's
> commentary on the first 6 chapters.  I think that the NighaNTu part was
> originally Part I, and I assume that the Nirukta chapters were included as
> Part II, though they are bound in one volume.  I think this to be the case
> because the remaining chapters of Nirukta (uttaraSaTka) are printed as
> part III (printed in 1891).  Interestingly, the title page of Part I does
> not say that this is a second edition, but the title page of Part III says
> so.  There is no title page available for part II in my copy.  I do not
> see any mention of Satyavrat Samasrami in these volumes.  They are not
> published in a particular series, but are printed in Calcutta in Sarasvati
> printing press.<