Projects - Shrutdeep Research Foundation

Critical Editing Department

Many of our ancient scriptures have not been published. And those published need to be authenticated, edited and corrected. At Shrut Bhavan, we have taken up the enormous task of compiling and editing more than 30,000 scriptures based on ancient manuscripts. The authentic and supportive content will enormously enrich this compilation. As a result, our future generation will be able to receive the most authentic versions of our scriptures.

This work is being carried out by scholars trained by Gurudev Pujya Shrutratna Ganivarya Vairagyarati Vijayaji and various Sadhu bhagawants.

This work is done in three stages:

Transliteration: Translate the ancient manuscript into a modern script.
Critical Editing: Correcting the translated script
Authentication: Determine the most authentic version from different manuscripts available; and prepare an appendix of reference material.

More than 660 scriptures (> 16,000 pages) have been transliterated. In addition, more than 270 unpublished scriptures have been made available in 37 collections.

Cataloguing

There are approximately five hundred Jain bhandars where about 2 million manuscripts are preserved. By compiling a list of all these treasures and preparing a list of all the Jain manuscripts available, Vardhmaana Jina Ratna Kosha will address the need for authentic reference. This will enable quick and easy access to original manuscripts, speeding up research and editing activities.

Digitization of manuscripts is also done as a related activity of this project. Based on this, a helpful index is prepared for the scholars according to the international standard. Under this project, information on more than 7,00,000 (7 lakh) manuscripts of 300 Bhandaras has been collected to date. 1,00,000 manuscripts of 56 Bhandaras have been digitized (55,00,000 pages). A listing of more than 35 Bhandaras has been created.

All this information has been compiled in software called Matrikaadeepa. This allows us to easily and quickly obtain expected manuscripts information in minutes.

An estimated 30,000 scriptures have been composed in the twenty-six hundred-year history of Jinshaasana. A Jain Kriti Kritikar Kosh is being prepared to make their specific information available.

Education & Training

Accurate editing and compilation of the vast scriptures require many people with unique skills and aptitudes. Unfortunately, the number of scholars in this field is decreasing daily.

Shrut Bhavan has started a unique initiative to address this gap.

At Shrut Bhavan, we have been imparting special training at the basic and advanced levels in the following topics:

Manuscriptology
Palaeography
Grammar
Philosophy
Listing and Preservation of Manuscripts

We also conduct special courses for scholar editors.

This project will create scholars with sound capabilities in editing and compiling scriptures.

Restoration

The life of books printed on paper using current technologies is very short. Therefore, Shrut Bhavan has come up with the idea of using time-tested palm leaves, tadpatra, to keep the legacy of our precious knowledge alive forever. After many tests, it was decided to write scripture on the palm leaves. Using the latest laser marking, the problem of ink sticking to the palm leaf gets eliminated. As a result, the life of a palm leaf is three times more than that of handmade paper. The palm leaf is also safe from water.

The scriptures critically edited and revised by Shrut Bhavan will be inscribed on the palm leaves. Their copies will be preserved in ancient Hastalikhit Bhandars (Manuscript preservation centres). Each scripture will contain about 50 pages. Presently, 20 such bhandars have been selected and are easily reachable by Sadhu Bhagwant and scholars.

The box of Burma teak is prepared to hold 2 to 3 different scriptures, depending on the text volume. Each box will have 6 pothis, a collection of tadpatra sets, having 50 pages of tadpatra in each pothi.

This pothi will be kept in the bag of Khadi cloth.