Vakyapadiya of Bhartrhari with the Commentary of Helaraja (An Old and Rare Book)

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The Vakyapadiya has been edited and published: several times and portions of it are prescribed for the M.A. degree in Sanskrit of many Universities, but no critical edition has been brought out so far. That an important text like this has remained so long without a reliable edition is a matter which must exercise modern critical scholarship. It was a matter of good fortune that what the late Professor Gode and I were organising the publication of two monthly journals Oriental Literary Digest and New Indian Antiquary we came into contact with Professor K. A. Subramania Iyer and his deep knowledge of and attachment to Bhartrhari. However, it was only much later that I could induce him to undertake the work of bringing out a critical edition of this major contribution to sanskrit Linguistics when a beginning had already been made in the Deccan Collage to collate all available manuscripts from different parts of India with the able direction of the late Professor V.A. Ramaswami Sastri, then working as Assistant Editor in the Sanskrit Dictionary Project. Professor Iyer readily accepted to my request and fruitful collaboration resulted, unhappily cut short by the tragic death of Prof. Sastri in 1956. But Prof. Iyer agreed to take over the full responsibility of carrying on the editing further, and despite many interferences of officials and other nature, has succeeded in completing the first of his monumental project, consisting of the constituted text of the Third Kanda and its commentary. The thanks of the Deccan College are due to Prof. Iyer’s singular devotion to scholarship which has resulted in this publication; to the Ministry of Scientific Research and Cultural Affairs for financial assistance ad to the Samarth Bharat Press for the careful printing over a number of years. It is expected that Professor Iyer will continue not only with constitution of this first two Kandas and the commentaries thereon, but also supplement his editorial work with critical studies on and around Bhartrhari and his Vakyapadiya.

The Centenary of the Deccan college building falls on 15th October 1964 and happily coincides with the Silver Jubilee of its successor Post-graduate and Research Institute; while it may not be possible to complete this monumental editorial work o the Vakyapadiya within that time, there is still some hope that another volume in this series will be published by then. In the meantime the Deccan College has been selected as an advanced centre for training and research in Linguistics by the University Grants Commission through the University of Poona. The publication of Bhartrhari’s masterpiece in Sanskrit Linguistics at this critical juncture augurs well for the development of Indian Linguistics.

While conveying the thanks of the Deccan College to Professor Iyer on bringing out this volume despite many handicaps I wish him health and strength to complete this assignment successfully and with the critical competence for which he is so well know.