final newsletter feb 2006.qxd 18/3/06 2:08 PM Page II “One of our major misfortunes is that we have lost so much of the world’s ancient literature – in Greece, in India and elsewhere... Probably an organized search for old manuscripts in the libraries of religious institutions, monasteries and private persons would yield rich results. That, and the critical examination of these manuscripts and, where considered desirable, their publication and translation, are among the many things we have to do in India when we succeed in breaking through our shackles and can function for ourselves. Such a study is bound to throw light on many phases of Indian history and especially on the social background behind historic events and changing ideas.” Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, The Discovery of India Editor: Neha Paliwal Design: Alpana Khare Graphic Design fgUnh laiknd % izHkkr dqekj nkl Cover image: Folios from Narayaneeyam by Narayana Bhatta, preserved at Assistant Editor : Mrinmoy Chakraborty Oriental Research Institute and Manuscripts Library, Kariavattom, Publisher’s details: Mission Director Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala National Mission for Manuscripts No. 5, Dr. Rajendra Prasad Road Print: Azure Press Services New Delhi 110 001 Tel: +91 11 23383894 National Mission for Manuscripts is an Email: [email protected] undertaking of the Ministry of Culture, Website: www.namami.nic.in Government of India. final newsletter feb 2006.qxd 18/3/06 2:08 PM Page 1 From the Editor Contents On 7th February 2006, the National Mission for 1. Manuscripts and Traditional 2 Manuscripts celebrated its third anniversary as Knowledge Systems well as the commencement of many programs V. R. Panchamukhi during its third year, the lessons learnt and experiences gained from them. 2. Origin of Brahmi Script: 7 On this occasion, therefore, we wish to thank A Continuing Debate all of you who have shown us encouragement Kiran Kumar Thaplyal and helped us to make our work more effective and efficient. We could not have accomplished 3. Institution in Focus: 9 what we have without the constant support that Thanjavur Maharaja Serfoji’s you have provided us. Sarasvati Mahal Library In this issue of Kriti Rakshana, the authors P. Perumal have addressed a variety of issues in as many fashions - stimulating concern regarding the 4. Thanjavur Library as a Realm 13 study of Indian manuscripts; providing of Knowledge suggestions for the preservation of paper Dominik Wujastyk manuscripts; uncovering a truly remarkable storehouse of knowledge, the Thanjavur 5. xhrxksfoUn dh laLd`fr 16 Maharaja Serfoji’s Sarasvati Mahal Library; Dilip Kumar Rana attempting to understand the origins of Brahmi, the earliest deciphered script used in India, 6. Preventive Conservation of 19 among others. Paper Manuscripts Once again, let us say that since we wish the K. K. Gupta publication to be read as widely as possible, we are mailing it, free of cost, to as many academic 7. Travelogue - Majuli: 22 institutions, manuscript repositories and public Where Manuscripts are Worshipped organizations as possible. If you know of any Anurag Arora such institution that we should mail Kriti Rakshana to, but are not currently doing so, 8. Report of Seminar on ‘Manuscripts 24 please let us know. and Indian Knowledge Systems’ If you have any queries or comments on any Sudha Gopalakrishnan article or would like to tell us what you think about Kriti Rakshana, do let us know at Others [email protected], or at Publications Division, NMM, No. 5, Rajendra Prasad Road, Quiz 6 New Delhi – 110001. Kriti Rakshana is also available online and may be downloaded from Summary of Events 26 www.namami.nic.in. Forthcoming Events 28 iti Rakshana Neha Paliwal Kr National Mission for Manuscripts 1 final newsletter feb 2006.qxd 18/3/06 2:08 PM Page 2 Manuscripts and Traditional Knowledge Systems V.R. Panchamukhi This is an excerpt from the inaugural address, in the context of contemporary life. For example, delivered by V. R. Panchamukhi, at the the disciplines such as sociology, political science, international conference on ‘Manuscripts and economics, psychology, physics, botany, biology, Indian Knowledge Systems’ held in Chennai. The law, administration, governance and environment conference was jointly organised by National Mission could be considered for documenting ancient for Manuscripts and Madras University from 9 to Indian knowledge systems in different categories 11 February, 2006. in order to make them relevant for problems of contemporary life. It is universally accepted that manuscripts Scholars studying the history of civilization constitute one of the most important basic and culture have often raised the question as to source materials for ‘knowledge’ about diverse why and when the glory of Sanskrit knowledge dimensions. However, cataloguing and mapping system has had its ups and downs over the past of manuscripts is not sufficient for understanding millennium. It is also often observed that the the knowledge that is contained in them. The pre-colonial period two hundred years prior to following dimensions of research must also be 1750 was a golden period for the development attended to: of Sanskrit knowledge systems. It is during this (a) The systematic survey of works in both period that many seminal contributions to printed and manuscript form pertaining to diverse fields such as literature, nyaya, mimamsa, different disciplines vyakarana, mathematics and physical sciences (b) The creation of what is called a were made by intellectual stalwarts. However, prosopographical data base which will there has been a decline in the glory of the provide the means for reconstructing the Sanskrit knowledge systems since the beginning linkages among intellectuals and the of the colonial era in the middle of the aspects of their social existence eighteenth century. Meanwhile, other historians (educational lineages, patronage linkages have identified the beginning of the eleventh and institutional and political affiliations) century as the starting point of this decline. (c) The critical analysis of key texts of Unfortunately, even after independence we different disciplines have done little to re-establish the glory of our ancient knowledge system and to demonstrate its For this, the constituents of knowledge systems usefulness to contemporary problems. It would need to be spelt out clearly at the outset. be useful if we identify the indicators of this Disciplines such as language and literature, decay process and work out ways and means of history and culture, philosophy and religion, averting this prospect in the future. science and technology, medicinal knowledge, The tasks of survey of manuscripts, analyzing folklore and art that will be covered in this the knowledge systems and editing and international conference form the different publishing manuscripts will have to be pursued constituents of knowledge systems. However, the seriously. The fact that a large number of iti Rakshana traditional categories of disciplines, such as, manuscripts had been taken away by foreign siksha, kalpa, nirukta, vyakarana, chandas and scholars and also the fact that a large number of jyotisha need to be need to be reassessed manuscripts of great intellectual value are still alongside modern categories. Further, the remaining unedited and unpublished are matters Kr typology of knowledge systems has to be useful of great shame and disgrace to the Indian 2 National Mission for Manuscripts final newsletter feb 2006.qxd 18/3/06 2:08 PM Page 3 intellectual community. We are all aware that civilizations and cultures, and have determined Kautilya’s Arthasastra, which belongs to about the framework of ‘human welfare’. It is important fourth century BC, was edited and published to recognize that the scope and content of ‘the only a hundred years ago, (in 1902 A.D.) by the notion of knowledge’ have also undergone illustrious scholar, Pandit Shyama Shastri, on the significant changes from time to time. We will be basis of a single copy of the manuscript, then making a grievous error in our assessment of available with the Oriental Research Institute in human capabilities if we do not recognize and Mysore. What a wonderful store-house of admire the knowledge revolutions that have knowledge system in the field of political science, occurred in the past. There was a knowledge economics, moral science and diplomacy would revolution when Panini introduced a fundamental have been lost to us if it had remained theory and practice in the fields of linguistics, unpublished! phonetics and grammar in seventh century BC. My point is that our approach to the task of A century later there was yet another defining preservation of knowledge systems should go moment when Kanada made pioneering beyond the initial exercise of survey and digital contributions to the field of physical sciences by preservation of manuscripts. The scope of our classifying the physical world into seven activities should be extended, sooner rather than categories with several sub-categories (dravya, later, to the tasks of editing and publishing of guna, karma, samanya, visesha, samavaya and manuscripts of seminal intellectual value. For this abhava) by explicitly mentioning the physical and purpose, the National Mission for Manuscripts chemical properties of different objects (such as needs to be further strengthened in terms of gandhavati prithivi) and also by introducing the resources and extended to the next phase of concept of atom (Anu) in the analysis of the activities. material