Suvarnavarnavadana: [Decipherment and Historical Study of a Palm- Leaf Sanskrit Manuscript-an Unknown Mahayana (Avadana) Text from Tibet] An Old and Rare Book

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I have great pleasure in introducing to the world of the Buddhist scholars the edition of Surarpazarnavadana, a Sanskrit manuscript, which comprises a part of the large collection of manuscripts brought from Tibet by Rahula Sańkrityāyana and now in the custody of the Bihar Research Society. Dr. Sita Ram Roy, Exploration and Excavation Officer, Directorate of Archaeology and Museums, Bihar, deciphered and studied the manuscript and obtained the Ph.D. Degree of the Patna University in 1965 on his work on this manuscript. The work thus represents largely the approved Ph.D. thesis of Dr. Roy. The manuscript is the work of the 11th century, written in the East Indian script known as Vartula or Vaivarta Lipi. This is an avadana type of Mahayana text having the object to provide material for propagation of Buddhism, though the legendary basis of the story relates to the pre- Mauryan period. Various information contained in the work as such reflect the political, religious, social and economic life of India in the 4th-5th century A. D. when the text was originally written. The book is divided into ten chapters. Dr. Sita Ram Roy deserves thanks for bringing to light such a rare avadana text from Tibet and for so ably deciphering and critically editing it.

The Bihar Research Society, the present custodian of this manuscript, deserves our thanks for allowing us to utilise the manuscript and place it before the learned scholars for what it is worth.

The Institute has been publishing for a number of years Sanskrit- Tibetan manuscripts. These have been very well received by scholars all over the world. I am sure this work will also be equally useful.

Among those who helped me in carrying out the present work, three Gurus, vit,, the late Dr. A. 5. Altekar, Dr. R. S. Sharma, Professor and Head of the Department of History, Patna University, and Pandit Baldeva Mishra of the K. P. Jayawal Research Institute, Patna, deserve special mention. Dr. Altekar advised me to select the present palm-leaf Sanskrit manuscript for my research and kindly consented to supervise my work. Further, he roused my interest in research by his scholastic guidance and encouraged me to pursue such a difficult and time-consuming task but his untimely death in November, 1959, hampered my work. I resumed my thread in January, 1962, when I approached Dr. R. S. Sharma, who enabled me to complete this work through his ungrudging and painstaking guidance. Pandit Baldeva Mishra, in spite of his very old age, carefully went through the whole of my deciphered text and made valuable suggestions. I find no words to express my gratitude to these three scholars. Thanks are due to the authorities of the different libraries, viz., the library of the Bihar Research Society, Patna, the library of the K. P. Jayaswal Research Institute, Patna, the Patna University library, the library of the Archeologically Survey of India, Mid-Eastern Circle, Patna, and the libraries of the Departments of History, and of Ancient Indian History and Arachnology, Patna University, Patna, for permitting me to use their collections. I express my deep sense of gratitude to the Government of India for their award of scholarship to me during the time of deciphering the manuscript. I shall fail in my duty if I do not extend my grateful thanks to Shree Deomani Prasad of the Directorate of Arachnology and Museums, Bihar, who took great pains in preparing very carefully the typed copy of this work for the press. I am equally beholden to the authorities, specially the then Hony. Joint Director Prof S. H. Askari, of the K. P. Jayaswal Research Institute, Patna, who, under the auspices of their institution, shouldered the responsibilities of getting this work published. Shree Lakshman Pd. Singh of the Directorate of Arachnology and Museums, Bihar, who helped me in the preparation of index and proof-reading, also deserves my grateful thanks.