[INDOLOGY] Welcome Indologists to the new Muktabodha Digital Library

[Tyler Neill]

Sharing on behalf of Jason Schwartz, who is in the process of being added
to the list.
-Tyler

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Dear Colleagues,

As Muktabodha approaches its thirtieth anniversary, we are happy to
introduce the Indology community to the newest incarnation of the
Muktabodha Digital Library:

https://muktabodha-digital-library.org

We have developed a new visual style that facilitates more easeful
navigation across a variety of platforms and devices. On a more fundamental
level, our approach combines meticulous curation with a judicious use of
cutting-edge technology.

Entering the Library—past Nandi, who stands guard against digital
intruders—you will find an “Introduction” to the site as well as an
overview of new additions to the collection, which will receive regular
updates. Some exciting recent acquisitions include a previously unknown
commentary on the Khaḍgamālā by Bhāskararāya, the magisterial
Nityādisaṃgraha of the Kashmiri non-dual Bhairavasiddhāntin Takṣakavarta, a
preliminary corpus of the Śāmbhava tradition, and the third and fourth
ṣaṭkas of the Jayadrathayāmala.

Going forward, all works transcribed from manuscripts will be accompanied
by a “Curator’s Overview.” These overviews inform the reader about the text
and its author, placing them, where possible, in time and space and making
connections to discussions within secondary literature. Most importantly,
they offer a guide, often with a chapter-by-chapter synopsis, to the major
internal divisions in the manuscript as well as the subjects it covers,
highlighting some of its more salient and novel features. Texts transcribed
from editions will be accompanied by more concise descriptions.

As for the library itself, our existing e-text collection has been entirely
reorganized. Researchers are able to search the collection on the basis of
text, author, source type (manuscript or printed edition), textual genres
(paddhati, stotra, and commentary), and collection (KSTS, IFP). Texts are
categorized under one or more “Traditions,” ranging from the non-dual
Śaivism of Kashmir, to Tantranibandha, to the Kālīkulakrama. When using
this category filter, readers are presented with descriptions of each
“Tradition,” outlining its key features and something of its history. In
many cases, these descriptions represent cutting-edge perspectives informed
by new readings of the previously unstudied texts now being shared.

In the coming months, the Muktabodha Digital Library will substantially
expand its collections by incorporating a large corpus of works on Vedānta
and Yoga, as well as new additions based on our longstanding partnership
with the Institut Français de Pondichéry (IFP).

The website also aims to be open and welcoming in two other important
respects. It now offers full transliteration of the main library webpage,
to accommodate user preference, and our entire e-text collection can be
downloaded in one click, as can its complete metadata. As the digital
library is being continually refined and updated, it is worth checking back
in from time to time to ensure that you are working with the best versions
of the e-texts available.

We are also giving significant thought to the nature of the core textual
data. Manuscript transcriptions are now being prepared according to a more
consistent set of guidelines, informed by expert paleographical input and
implemented by Dr. Anirban Dash, Director of Muktabodha’s digitization team
in Varanasi, India, and Dr. Trilochan Pradhan, Senior Sanskritist. Our aim
is to produce e-texts that are faithful to the source material, and, at the
same time, may be further refined by scholars with philological skill and
deeper knowledge of a particular tradition. We have also begun the process
of gradually improving our older e-texts, to bring them in line with the
new standard. If you notice any errors in any of our e-texts or their
metadata, please write us at curator at muktabodha.org. General inquiries are
also welcome at info at muktabodha.org.

The Muktabodha Indological Research Institute is eager to support your
research and welcomes ongoing collaborations, large and small. On behalf of
myself, our Technical Director Tyler Neill and our current Research
Scholar-in-Residence, Ben Williams, we hope that you continue to benefit
from Muktabodha’s digital collections and that your scholarship is enriched
by the organization’s ongoing commitment to the discovery, preservation,
and dissemination of tantric and śāstric traditions. Muktabodha is a
non-profit organization that relies on donations from users like you. We
deeply appreciate any support you are able to provide to help sustain our
ongoing mission.

Jason Schwartz, Curator of the Muktabodha Digital Library
jasschwa at stanford.edu
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