Dr. B.K. Khadabadi
As an Editor of Ancient and Classical Works and as a Director of such work.
Dr. Upadhye was not only a Jainologist, but also he was an Indologist and Orientologist. This means, he has also contributed considerably to non-Jaina fields. In a way Orientology includes Indology and Indology includes Jainology. It is not possible to separate these fields from one another and to do so is also impracticable. On the whole Dr. Upadhye has contributed to all these three fields both in respect of Literature and Language.
He has contributed in the capacity of an editor of ancient and classical works as shown below:
(i) Prakrit books edited by him:
- Candralekha Sattaka
- Anandasundari Sattaka
- Srngaramanjari Sattaka
- Kamsavaho
- Usaniruddham
- Saptasatisara
The first three belong to the Sattaka type (early, Prakrit drama type) of literature. The next two are Khanda-kavyas and the last one is a small collection of Prakrit lyrical verses - the quintessence of the well-known Gathasaptasatt.
Nearly half the available Sattaka literature is critically studied and edited by Dr. Upadhye alone. His learned and detailed introduction to the Candralekha Sattaka is a veritable authoritative essay on the Sattaka literature as a whole. He was the first to show that the term Sattaka is derived from the Dravidian one: adu > ata - Saata with a~ta (ata = dance) > Sattaka- a play predominated by dance. In Karnataka Sattaka types of play i.e. bailata (open air rural play) is in vogue even to this day. All this indicates that the Sanskrit drama has grown from the ancient Prakrit Sattaka.
(ii) Such Sanskrit Works edited by him.
- Brhatkathakosa
- Varangacarita
- Punyasrava Kathakosa
- Prabhacandra's Kathakosa
Though these works are produced by the Jaina teachers, they reflect contemporary Indian culture and particularly the life of the common people. They provide important material for the study of Orientology and Indology. Moreover some of the discussions presented in the long and learned introductions written to these books, have been significant chapters on Indo-Aryan and Dravidian Linguistics: "These studies are the veritable Chapters on Indo-Aryan and Dravidian Linguistics." (Journal of the French Oriental Society, 1981).
(iii) Kannada Books
Dr. Upadhye has not edited Kannada works on his own, nor had he time for undertaking such work. But under his General Editorship, about five Kannada books have come out:
- Ratnakarandaka Sravakacara
- Ramavijaya Kavya
- Bharatiya Sanskritige Jainadharmada Koduge
- Padmasuriya Vardhamana Carita
- Ramacandra carita Purana or Pamparamayana
Besides this, he advised the Bharatiya Jfianapitha, by preparing a project to get the Kannada Jaina classics edited by suitable scholars on scientific lines and publish them. He himself took the responsibility of directing this work. And according to the project, some books like Pamparamayana and Vardhamsnacarite have come out.
Moreover Dr. Upadhye had been a helping strength behind research and editing of such classics in Kannada. When Prof. D. L.* Narasimhachar was editing the Vaddaradhane, the earliest available prose work in Kannada and deciding its difficult text material, he often advised and lent a helping hand to the editor. To supplement such help and advice he wrote a learned essay on the Vaddaradhane in the introduction to his Brhatkathakosa and enhanced the importance of that classic as well as that of Kannada literature. This essay also later proved to be very useful for researchers on the Vaddaradhane and Old Kannada literature.
If I present here my own experiences in this regard, I think this discussion would be much more interesting. At the beginning I had selected my Ph.D. subject as " Vaddaradhane: A Linguistic Study". When Dr. Upadhye came to know this, he told me: "Unless there would be a thorough or all sided study of the Vaddaradhane, its linguistic study is not possible, nor it is practicable." Having duly accepted this timely advice, I dropped my former decision and changed to " Vaddaradhane: A Study (Its Religious, Social, Literary and Linguistic Aspects"). Later in some context he referred to Nrpatunga's Kavirajamarga and suggested to undertake research on the possible phase of the Kannada literature of the Pre- Nrpagunga period: who are Kucibhattaraka, Srinandi, Kavi Paramesvara etc. mentioned by Camundaraya in the introductory verses of his Camundaraya Purana? Among prose writers like Srivijaya, Kavisvara etc. could there be any one of those mentioned by Camundaraya? Who was the Kannada Commentator of the Mularadhana, on which the Vaddaradhane. was based? Could he be Bhrajisnu mentioned by Ramacandra Mumuksu in his Punyasrava Kathakosa. Shyamakundacarya, Tumbaluracarya, the Commentators of the Satkhandagama known by references only and an unknown Commentator of the Tattvartha Sutra referred by Bhattakalarika - can all these help to trace the literary stream of the Pre-Nrpagunta period? For a scholar coming forward to try to answer these important questions must have Prakrit background and interest in Kannada literature and language too. All this created in me some kind of research ambition to try to answer the above mentioned questions. As a result of this, in a short time I produced a research paper entitled "Jaina Literature in Kannada" and published it (Puskara Muni Felicitation Volume, Udaipur, 1980). In that paper I have tried to find that there was a period of Kannada Commentaries on the great Prakrit works before Nrpatunga. The Commentators known by references only, as mentioned above, stand as dumb evidence for this statement. I have called that period, "A Hidden Landmark in the History of Kannada Literature." Then I wrote a paper entitled "Nagavarma and Three-and-a half Languages" to explain Nagavarma's significant statement (in his Chandombudhi) that the Kannada language is born of Three-and-a-half Languages - Sanskrit, Prakrit, Apabhramsa and Paisaci, and published it (the Journal of Karnatak University: Humanities, 1975). Similarly in order to disprove the theory of Prof. Muliya Timmappayya put forth (in NadojaPampa) and of Dr. V. R. Umarji expressed in "Kannada Language, It's Origin and Development", Dharwad, 1969, that the Kannada language is born of Paisaci Prakrit, I wrote a paper entitled "On the Origin of Kannada Language: Some Thoughts" and published it (Sambodhi, Ahmedabad, 1971). Later, when I found that some scholars had expressed wrong views about Bhrajisnu mentioned by Ramacandra Mumuksu in his Punyasrava Kathakosa, to identify this author rightly, I produced a paper entitled "Observations on the Punyasrava Kathakosa" and published it (Journal of Karnatak University: Humanities, 1970). It need not be told again that all these research papers came down from my pen owing to the suggestive thoughts and inspiration of Dr. Upadhye.
