Dr. B.K. Khadabadi
As A Member Of National And International Level Conferences And Seminars And President And Chief Guest Of Such Organisations.
This kind of Dr. Upadhye's contribution is reflected in thoughts and suggestions expressed by him in the various above cited contexts. I was fortunate enough to be present in many of such contexts. Recalling those experiences and feelings of those contexts and sharing them with you all would make this discussion interesting.
As the Director of the first National Seminar organized by the Shivaji University, Kolhapur, in 1968, Dr. Upadhye had expressed, among several thoughts, the following significant one: If we should get the real and complete picture of Ancient Indian History and Culture, Prakrit should be given a justifiable place along with Sanskrit and Pali. That means along with the study of Vedic literature, Hindu Dharmasastras and Puranas and with that of the Pali Tipitakas, there should also be a systematic study of the Jaina Canonical Works, Commentaries on them and Prakrit literature.
Dr. Upadhye had the unique capacity and courage to evaluate rightly the research work that has been turned out and being turned out. At the time of the Silver Jubilee Session of the All India Oriental Conference, held in Calcutta, in 1969, the Jaina Society in Calcutta had organized at the Jaina Sabha Bhavan in the Portuguese Church Street, a social get-together of the delegates of the Prakrit and Jainism Section of the Conference. From the Presidential Chair of that meeting, he told that the pure form (scientifically edited) of the Jaina Canon and the commentaries on its works, is the back-bone of researches in Jaina religion, history, tradition and culture. The critical editions of all these works have not come out yet. In the whole Jaina Society, consisting of the four Digambara, Svetambara, Sthanakvasi and Terapanthi Sects, if anybody or group of scholars have done the work of critically editing (on scientific lines) and publishing several of the canonical and commentarial works, it is the by the Terapanthi scholar-monks only. These words of Dr. Upadhye, expressed then in an open meeting, are applicable to such condition even today.
Dr. Upadhye has laid down some guiding principles for scholars in the field of Jainology and Prakrit, as the Chief Guest of the 5th Seminar on Jainology organized by the Jaina Vishva Bharati in Delhi, in 1974, he said: Senior research scholars working in the field of Jainology and Prakrit, should carefully study the research methodology of German scholars and ponder over it. Now they too like the German scholars, get in our country many facilities, which they should utilise properly. Dr. Upadhye, then, also told in detail how much effort and industry the German scholars put in the work undertaken by them:
"Prof. Buhler wrote the History of Indian Literature as based only on the manuscripts in Sanskrit and Prakrit. Prof. Jacobi visited India, collected a number of old manuscripts, met some Jaina monks, discussed with them important points of Jaina Religion and Philosophy and noted them, went back to his country and scientifically edited some important Jaina canonical works. Prof Lawyman's deep and thorough study of the Avasyaka Literature depended on a heap of Jaina canonical and commentarial works in manuscript form. Prof. Schubring's well-known "The Doctrine of the Jainas" also is a distinguished work produced under such difficult conditions. His student, Dr. Ludwig Alsdorf came to India, for the purpose of visiting the Manuscript Library at Mudabidire. When he found that the manuscript of Vattakera's Mulacara, an important Jaina Pro-canonical work, which he needed, was in the Kannada script, he came to Kolhapur stayed with me for 8-10 days, learnt the Kannada script with special efforts, examined himself as to whether he could read the manuscript and went back satisfied to his country."
At this very context Dr. Upadhye sounded a note of timely warning: "Our scholars in the field of research work single-sightedly. At times they are not equipped even with the principle tenets of Jainism and the basic elements in Buddhism and Vedic religion. Thus they are often caught in the mud of faulty research. One cannot do true research work with Jaldabaji (in a hasty way). It requires sincere, long and continued labours together with honesty. Some of our scholars do Pistaposana, simply repeat in their own words, what Prof. Jacobi, Prof. Alsdorf etc. have stated. Some scholars just translate the opinions of such scholars and present them as their own and remain as if they have not done anything like that.
After sincerely advising and warning the scholars working in the research field, he also gave a good prick to the members of the Jaina society at large; "Many Jaina rich or well-to-do persons do not know how and for what purpose to spend their money. Such people should pay attention to the protection of permanent values in Jainism and Prakrit literature. For example, they should extend monetary help for the publication of books, edited under adverse conditions and with hard labours. Or they should provide sufficient funds to weak Institutes doing such and other similar works. I simply hope that such attitude may arise and be in practice as early as possible."
