38 Annual Report. ^ [Feb. 



Vihari Kavyatlrtha, a young man serving under Maliamaliopadhyaya 

 Haraprasad Shastri, as a travelling Pandit and a collector of MSS., has 

 been chosen to edit the Nityacarapaddhati by Vidyakara Vajapeyi, an 

 ancient Smrti compiler of the highest authority in Orissa. Sanskrit 

 works of that country were unknown to the scholars of Europe and it 

 was the zeal of this young Pandit, which brought them to light, and the 

 most important of them was I^ityacara. Therefore the discoverer was 

 entrusted with the work of editing it. 



Search for Manuscripta. 



During the year under review was published the quinquennial report 

 of the operation of the search for Sanskrit and other MSS. in Bengal. 

 From 1891 the work has been done by Mahamahopadhyaya Harapasad 

 Shastri, M.A., Principal, Sanskrit College, Calcutta. During the five 

 years covered by the Report Mahamahopadhyaya paid two visits to Nepal 

 and two to Benares, and his agents were active in Orissa, Mithita, East 

 Bengal, and West Behar. Some of the discoveries of these years will 

 leave their stamp on the history of India. Dhanurveda was known only 

 by name. Foui^ distinct works were discovered during these years, 

 giving some idea of the military tactics in ancient India. Many new 

 works were discovered on Medicine and Veterinary Science. A portion 

 of the Ka9yapa Samhita was brought to light. In Astrology the trans- 

 lation of a Greek work into Sanskrit by a Greek savant was discovered. 

 Several historical works of great importance were made known to the 

 public. 



The Report has been very favourably received in Europe and 

 Mahamahopadhyaya Haraprasad Shastri has received many appreciative 

 letters from eminent Orientalists there. The President has requested 

 the Government of India to send copies of the Report to the Darbar 

 of Nepal, where Mahamahopadhyaya Haraprasad Shastri made some of 

 his most important discoveries. The discovery of MSS. of Puranas 

 and Tantras written in ancient Gupta character has thrown back the 

 date of the composition of these two classes of works by several centuries. 

 Tantras were generally considered to have been as old as the twelfth 

 century, but Mahamahopadhyaya Haraprasad Shastri has discovered a 

 Tantra work dated 908 A.D. and two more MSS. of tantrika works 

 which go back to the sixth century. A MS. of Skanda Purana belongs 

 to the seventh century, so these two classes of works may now be 

 pronounced to have been as old as the second or third century A.D., if 

 they did not belong to earlier centuries. 



The Report having been read and some copies having been distri- 

 buted, the President invited the meeting to consider it at their leisure. 



