शब्दचिन्तामणि: Shabda Chintamani

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The present compilation is the result of a hard work of fifteen years. It is the first Sanskrit-Gujarati dictionary that has yet been published and aims at placing in the hands of Gujarati-reading public a comprehensive lexicon that would be serviceable in the study of Sanskrit literature without the medium of the English or any other foreign language. Such a work would, therefore, be valuable not only for its intrinsic merit and its place in literature, but also for the service it would render in the promotion of the Gujarati language. One of the principal causes, which retard the cultivation of the vernaculars of this province, is that the vernaculars do not afford means for higher studies. Even for the study of Sanskrit, the parent stock of the vernaculars, recourse to English literature is essential, there being no dictionaries, annotations, criticisms or historical researches in the vernacular literature. At such a time a dictionary, which facilitates the study of Sanskrit literature directly from the Gujarati, cannot be but hailed with feelings of gratefulness and satisfaction.

The value of the study of Sanskrit requires no demonstration. It would be sufficient here to observe that by closer contact with Sanskrit literature the vernacculars not only imbibe the great philosophy, rich poetry and ancient civilization of a classical literature, but, are chastened and invigorated, both in style and thought, in consequence of approach to the source from which they originally derived their existence. The gymnastic training, which the mind acquires by the study of a classical literature, has its counterpart also in the development of a vernacular language when trained to the service of a classical one.

The present work has, moreover, another aspect of usefulness. A full and complete dictionary of the Gujarati language has not yet been compiled, and this compilation will never be possible, till a glossary of words of the Sanskrit language (as also of the Persian and some other languages) is placed side by side with a glossary of their Gujarati tenderings, and till it is thus ascertained how many words of the former language have been embodied in the written and spoken language of Gujarat. This dictionary will, therefore, be useful as furnishing such a glossary of Sanskrit words.

This dictionary, though it contains 1400 pages, does not and cannot give an exhaustive enumeration of all the words of the Sanskrit language. Technical terms, peculiar to particular branches of study have been omitted. Besides, the Sanskrit language has such an infinite capacity for variety of expression by the formation of compounds that it would be impracticable to include in a lexicon all possible compound expressions. A modest attempt has, however, been made to give all such expressions as occur in the study of ordinary Sanskrit literature. The works, which the compiler has consulted and relied upon, have been cited in his Gujarati preface, and their enumeration will show that no pains have been spared to fulfil all the requirements of the readers of general literature. After each word has been quoted its etymology on the principles of Sanskrit grammar. Then are given its gender and nominative singular form, if the word is a substantive, or its conjugation and third person singular form of the present tense, if the word is a verb. In the case of adjectives the forms of the three genders are given. Compound words have been given separately from their component words, so as to facilitate ref- erence, and with each compound word has been given its solution. Much valuable information beside this has been given such as quotations from standard authors either defining the meaning of the word or illustrating its use. Where a word has several meanings, the Gujarati rendering for each import has been separately numbered so as to prevent the different meanings being understood as synonyms.

A word of encouragement is due in conclusion to the publisher, but for whose enterprise this costly undertaking would have met with many difficulties in the way of publication. It is more out of appreciations for the value of the work than from any expectation of profit that the publisher has been induced to undergo the cost, and it will be for the public to recognise and reward the labour of the compiler as well as the expenses of the publisher.

**Contents and Sample Pages**