Dr. B.K. Khadabadi
As an Editor and Researcher of important ancient works (2)
As a writer of Research Papers on different subjects: Dr. Upadhye has produced most of his research papers while working as Professor in the Rajaram College, Kolhapur. He has produced about 185 research papers on varied subjects and published them in renowned national and international Research Journals. Most of these are related to Jainology, Prakrit Literature and languages. Samantabhadra: An outstanding personality, was his first research paper, published in 1929 in S.D.J. Hostel Journal, Alahabad. The last one is Prakrit Literature in Karnatak, posthumously published in the special issue of the Tulsiprajna, 1975, which was brought out to commemorate his sad demise. Thus these research papers were produced and published by Dr. Upadhye during the period of 45 years of his life.
According to my survey of these research papers, Dr. Upadhye wrote all these with the following aims or purposes and published them from time to time and, thus, left this valuable asset for the future generations of scholars.
- In order to give satisfactory solutions to minor problems that he came across, while working on one major problem as a part of his vast regular research scheme.
- In order to extend helpful solutions to small knotty problems or doubts raised by other scholars and related to his own field.
- For contributing his own to a Conference or Seminar organized with some definite subjects. At such times he generally picked up some contextual topic.
- In order to effect corrections to errors, wrong statements on subjects or topics concerned with his own field and do justice to them. Generally such papers were short or at times of the type "A Note on..."
For every purpose or aim enumerated above one or two examples would clarify my statement:
- When Dr. Upadhye was preparing the critical edition of the Pravacanasara of Kundakundacarya, he wrote a scholarly research paper entitled "The Prakrit Dialect of Pravachanasara" and published it in the Bombay University Journal, Vol. III-6.
Similarly while editing the Tiloyapannatti, Camdaleha and Kuvalayamala he wrote several research papers on topics that threw fresh light and published them in the various journals.
- In 1883 Prof. Hornale wrote a paper in the Indian Antiquary, discussing about some important manuscripts of Subhacandra's grammar and therein he just raised a doubt as to "which Subhacandra?" and left it there alone. In order to clarify that doubt of Prof. Hornale, Dr. Upadhye undertook a deep study on the whole subject, and wrote a paper entitled "Subhacandra and his Prakrit Grammar" and published it in A.B.O.R.I. Vol.1-8. In this paper he separated the genuine Subhacandra from seven others of the same name and pointed him out with strong evidence and thus, won the praise of scholars. Similarly, the "Yapaniya Samgha" had been for scholars a hard nut to crack for several years. When discussions, assumptions and suggestions regarding this problem were going on by several scholars, Dr. Upadhye picked up the knotty problem, carried on a deep study on it, wrote a paper entitled "Yapaniya Samgha: A Jaina sect" and published it in the Bombay University Journal in 1933. Then continuing the same subject, he threw new light on some important points, which were presented in the following two additional papers: The meaning of Yapaniya published in Shrikantha Shastri Felicitation Volume in 1973 and More light on the Yapaniya Samgha published in the Annals of the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, in 1974.
- For the third purpose, the following two examples can be given here:
Dr. Upadhye wrote a paper entitled The Lesya Doctrine and presented it in the Baroda Session of the All India Oriental Conference held in 1935. Later it was published in the Proceedings of that Session of the conference.
Similarly he presented a paper entitled The Present Position of Prakrit, Jaina and Buddhist Studies' from the position of the Sectional President of the Hyderabad Session of the same conference held in 1941 and it was published in the Proceedings of that Session of the Conference.
- Now some examples for the fourth and the last purpose or aim of writing research paper by Dr. Upadhye:
Several scholars wrote in their research papers and published them here and there, stating that the Sanskrit commentary entitled Jivatatva Pradipika, on the Gommatasara of Siddhanta Cakravarti Nemicandracarya, was written by Kesavavarni. Taking into consideration the views of all such scholars, Dr. Upadhye carried on deep and all sided study, set aside those statements and proved that this Sanskrit Commentary was written by Nemicandra, who flourished in 1600 A.D. He also proved to the surprise of the world of scholars, that this commentary was written basing it on the original Kannada Commentary of Kesavavarni. Thus he rectified the error that could have been continued further and misled the future generations of scholars.
Similarly the paper entitled Materials for the interpretation of Gommata was written by Dr. Upadhye and published in the Indian Historical Journal in 1940, for the purpose of rectifying the opinion of some scholars that the word 'gommata' was derived from the word 'manmatha'. We can thus, give many examples.
These valuable research papers of Dr. Upadhye have also inspired research scholars in this field to continue further the related research work and, thus, several other research papers have come out from the pens of different scholars. I will present here some of my own experiences in this regard. After reading Dr. Upadhye's paper entitled "Kannada words in Hemacandra's Desinamamala" published in the Annals of the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, 1931, and getting inspiration by it, I entered into deep study in such kind of rather wider zone and produced five research papers, beginning from the one entitled "Kannada words in Desi Stock", between 1962-1967 and published them in the volumes of the Journal of Karnatak University (Humanities), coming out during the same period. Moreover I took up the study of the other side of the coin, namely Prakrit words in the Kannada language, and produced with considerable labour, a paper entitled Some observations on the Apabhramsa Chapter of the Scibdamanidarpana, presented it in the Shantiniketan Session of the All India Conference, 1981 and published it in the Annals of the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute in the same year. This paper was very much appreciated by both Indian and foreign scholars attending the Prakrit and Jainism Section of that Session. Similarly some of other papers like On the Paisaci origin of the Kannada Language, Nagavarma and Three-and-a-half languages etc. have come out from my pen as a result of my sincere and serious study of almost all research papers of Dr. Upadhye. I believe that several other scholars could have similar experience.
In the context of this discussion about Dr. Upadhye's research papers, I feel rather inevitable to mention here a bitter truth about these papers as a whole.
Dr. Upadhye had planned to publish all of his 185 research papers, produced during the period of 45 years, in one Volume after his retirement from the Jaina Chair at Mysore University. As a blue print of this plan, he had also prepared their systematic list and included it as a part of the "Bibliography of His Works." But unfortunately owing to his sudden demise, that plan remained there alone. However the Jaina Sanskriti Samraksaka Samgha of Solapur published the "Bibliography of His Works" in the form of a booklet in 1977. Seeing this booklet, some of Dr. Upadhye's well- wishers, friends, particularly the Bharatiya Jfianapitha, Delhi, desired to fulfill his wish by publishing a collection of all those 185 papers in one volume. Some wished that the collection of those papers should come in the form of a Commemorative Volume. And the Bharatiya Jfianapitha took the lead in this respect.
When I was working as a member of the Research Committee of the Jfianapitha during 1981-1984, its Secretary, Dr. Vimal Prakash Jain and myself visited Kolhapur, and, then, prepared a plan of such publication in the Mysore meeting of the Committee, which Dr. T. G. Kalghatgi, another member of the Committee, also attended. On the recommendation of the committee the Jfianapitha entrusted the editorial work of the Volume to me.
In the meanwhile, Dr. Upadhye's two sons, interested in Mechanical and Electrical Engineering lines, sold their father's large valuable Library to Gujarat University. Hence the work entrusted to me faced a great difficulty. Then on the suggestion of Shri Laxmichand Jain, the then Director of the Bharatiya Jfianapitha, I visited Ahmedabad, carefully surveyed the section of Dr. Upadhye's books, papers etc. sold to and kept in the Gujarat University Library. Shri Patel, the Librarian of Gujarat University extended to me his sincere co-operation for my work. I found that all the 185 research papers were not there. When I contacted Dr. R.N. Dandekar, Dr. Upadhye's friend and the then Director of the Bhandarkar Oriental Institute, Poona, he readily promised me to provide me with xerox copies of the Research papers of Dr. Upadhye, not found in the Gujarat University Library Section, finding them out from the various old Journals preserved in that Institute. Then I got some relief and courage to go ahead with my work.
Then coming back to Dharwad, I prepared my report on the work entrusted to me within 15 days and submitted it to the Jnanapitha. In that report I also expressed my personal opinion that the proposed volume should not be like the traditional kind of commemorative volume, but be as entitled "Dr. A.N. Upadhye and his Research Papers." Then we would be really fulfilling Dr. Upadhye's wish. As an ideal model, I produced a similar publication entitled "Ludwig Alsdorf: (tleine K/ Schriften" which was also posthumously published by Glasenapp Foundation, Weisbaden, Germany, in 1974. Shri Laxmichand Jain accepted my Report as a whole. Later he retired from the Jnanapitha and the implementation of the accepted plan remained there only. Then I too retired from the Jaina Pitha at the Karnatak University and returned to Sankeshwar, my native place. But still there is some kind of inexpressible pain in my mind that the publication of the collection of Dr. Upadhye's valuable and rare Research Papers remained there alone and scholars, researchers and other interested readers of future generations would find themselves in great loss.
