मानसार शिल्पशास्त्र (प्रसन्ना कुमार आचार्य - प्राचीन भारतीय स्थापत्य, नगर-नियोजन व मूर्ति-शिल्प महाकोश)

PREFACE xvii
Of all these manuscripts, 'A' is the shortest. The characters
are legible, clear and bold, but the language is very corrupt. The
corruptions are not due only to the copyist, but are to be ascribed
to the sources from which 'A' was copied. It does not differ
materially from the first and second parts of 'F.' In fact 'A' and
'F' resemble each other so closely as to suggest a common origin,
and may be taken to form one group.
'B' is the most incorrect manuscript; but, such as it is, it
does not differ from 'D.' The various corruptions, except those
which are obviously copyist's conjectures and variae lectiones, are the
same. I am inclined to think that 'B' had already been copied from
'D' when the latter was removed to the India. Office. At any
rate their common origin is apparent. These two will thus form
one group.
'C' is also interpolated and stands aloof, although it shows
many striking coincidences with such parts of 'J' as do not agree
with 'I.' Eggeling says (Catalogue, page 1154) "the volume ('C')
was copied from two different manuscripts . . this would account
for certain repetitions, as well as for certain orthographic peculiarities
(such as yeka for eka, vuttara for uttara), pointing to a Telegu source."
That the original of 'C' was very damaged is clear from such marginal
remarks of the copyist as "Asmin sthale patrāṇi navāṇi nyūnāni"
(here are lost nine leaves).
'G' and 'H,' each of which has the same fifteen chapters only,
are in a fairly good condition. They are copies from the same
original, differing just enough to show that they have undergone
the usual corruptions, which a long course of copying and re-copying
under different circumstances renders unavoidable. They may,
therefore, be classed under one group.
'I,' which is the Codex Archetypus of the present edition is the
most perfect manuscript available of the Mānasāra. It is likely
that 'I' was copied from 'J' when the latter was in its complete
form. This would account for the displacement of some lines in