Digital Content Creation and

Electronic Publishing: With Special

Reference to Sanskrit Texts and
Archives

Dr. J.S.R.A. Prasad

Dept. of Sanskrit Studies,
School of Humanities,
University of Hyderabad
 Topics

1. The Concept of Text in Shastric context

2. Digital Textualities
3. Tagging of Data
4. Digital Libraries

Department of Sanskrit Studies, University of Hyderabad

The Concept of Text in Shastric context

Department of Sanskrit Studies, University of Hyderabad

 Definition

 Information transformation: oral tradition to

the manuscripts
 Text in Sanskrit - Granthah, pustakam,
pustikaa, patram, taalapatram, Granthah:
‘gratha- grathane’ to write/compile
 Text is nothing but a linguistic
communication. Sage Valmiki’s agony
towards a hunter in killing a ‘crouncha’ bird,
has poetically paved the way to write the
Ramayana in verse form
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 Preliminary pre-requisites

 “Prayojanamanuddishya na mandopi
pravartate”
 Every author should establish the
‘anubandha chatushtaya’ (= four
preliminary connectors) for any kind of
text
 They are-
“sambandhaschaadhikaaricha
vishayascha prayojanam”
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 Four Fold Connection

Text

Relation Competent Person Subject Matter Result

Ex: Tarka Samgraha

Hence an author should maintain these structural connectors so that
a text should not be below or above the standard

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 What the tradition says?

 ‘Artham budhvaa sabda rachanaa’: meaning is

important than a word-Yaska
 Whoever wants to complete his text should
start with an incantation
 Mangala = incantation
 Mangala is of three fold:
1. aasirvaada
2. namaskaara and
3. vastunirdesa

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 What the tradition says? ….Continued

 Where to invoke? [In the beginning-in

the middle-or at the end of a text]
 This practice can be observed in
majority of books from Indian
theistic/atheistic schools
 Reference – “Anubandha Chatushtaya”
by Prof. Saroja Bhate in an Encyclopedia
of Indian Education, Ed. by J.S. Rajput,
published by NCERT, 2004
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 The Coherence within a text

 A connector is called ‘sangati’ which

typically binds one
chapter/section/sub-section with
another.
 This should be in between the poorva-
abhihita and uttara-abhidhana
 Six sangatis are mentioned in Indian
philosophy
 Ex: the word ‘atha’?
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 The Tradition of Interpretation

Ashtadhyayi of Panini Sutra Nyaya Darshana of

Gautama

Bhashya

Vaartika

Vyaakhyaana

anu-vyaakhyaana

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 Why so many interpretations?

Sri K.A.Subramaniya Aiyar says-

 "(These) …supplied the context and brought

out the full implications of the main idea…
(They also explain) the logical sequence (of
topics and ideas)… (handing down the old
tradition) was also one of the original motives of
those writers…they also placed the text in the
context of the totality of philosophical systems".

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 What kept the tradition alive?

Prof. Kapil Kapoor opines –

 The seminal texts of knowledge over a period

of time tend to (i) grow opaque, and/or
(ii) become asymmetrical with the context,
and/or (iii) their connection with the tradition of
knowledge in that domain becomes incoherent.
If the Indian intellectual texts have not become
‘dead’ and are still studied in the learned, though
now relatively esoteric, tradition, it is because the
tika parampara has kept them alive and pertinent.

Department of Sanskrit Studies, University of Hyderabad

 Modalities of Shastras

 Objections – answers; in proposing a strategy

 Refutation – refutation(s) of refutation of a
concept/strategy among the philosophical
schools
 Unlike the scientific laws, the shastric dogmas
have never been altered by the lateral
commentators within a school. Ex: the
theory of substances in ‘vaiseshika darshana’

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 Writing Materials

Granthas (texts)

Palm leaf manuscript

Paper manuscript

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Digital Textualities

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 Electronic Publishing

 Computer assisted book production

 Digital publication of e-books, journals,
articles, blogs, digital libraries etc.
 Distribution/access through networking
 For a wider dissemination

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 Presentation of digital content

Structural Tags Semantic Tags

Side bar
Introduction

Header

webpage Index of chapters

webpage
Body Sub chapters
Hypertext

Home Hyperlinks

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 Advantages of a digital text

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Printed Text vs Digital Text

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Printed Text vs Digital Text

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Flexible display of a Sanskrit Text

The Epic Ramayana on Internet

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Flexible display of a Sanskrit Text ….Continued

Screen shot of a Hypertext

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 Indexing

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 Translations

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 Tagging the digital content

1. amara,1.1.7.1,puM.,svargavargaH,xevaH,
2. nirjarasa,1.1.7.1,puM.,svargavargaH,xevaH,
3. sumanas,1.1.7.2,puM.,svargavargaH,xevaH,
4. suparvan,1.1.7.2,puM.,svargavargaH,xevaH,
5. sura,1.1.7.1,puM.,svargavargaH,xevaH,
6. vibuXa,1.1.7.1,puM.,svargavargaH,xevaH,
7. wrixaSa,1.1.7.1,puM.,svargavargaH,xevaH,
8. wrixiveSa,1.1.7.2,puM.,svargavargaH,xevaH,
9. xeva,1.1.7.1,puM.,svargavargaH,xevaH,
10. xivOkas,1.1.7.2,puM.,svargavargaH,xevaH,
11. amarwya,1.1.8.2,puM.,svargavargaH,xevaH,
12. amqwAnXas,1.1.8.2,puM.,svargavargaH,xevaH,
13. asvapna,1.1.8.2,puM.,svargavargaH,xevaH,
14. Axiweya,1.1.8.1,puM.,svargavargaH,xevaH,
15. axiwinanxana,1.1.8.1,puM.,svargavargaH,xevaH,
16. Axiwya,1.1.8.2,puM.,svargavargaH,xevaH,
17. leKa,1.1.8.1,puM.,svargavargaH,xevaH,
18. qBava,1.1.8.2,,svargavargaH,xevaH,
19. xiviRax,1.1.8.1,puM.,svargavargaH,xevaH,
20. barhirmuKa,1.1.9.1,puM.,svargavargaH,xevaH,
21. gIrvANa,1.1.9.1,puM.,svargavargaH,xevaH,
22. krawuBuj,1.1.9.1,puM.,svargavargaH,xevaH,
23. vqnxAraka,1.1.9.2,puM.,svargavargaH,xevaH,
24. xAnavAri,1.1.9.1,puM.,svargavargaH,xevaH,
25. xevawA,1.1.9.2,swrI.,svargavargaH,xevaH,
26. xEvawa,1.1.9.2,napuM.,svargavargaH,xevaH,

Department of Sanskrit Studies, University of Hyderabad

 Digital Libraries

 Sanskrit Documents – a collaborative voluntary

venture
 International Digital Sanskrit Library Integration
for which $225428 have been granted
 CMU’s digital archives
 C-DAC’s Indian Heritage site
 Kyoto University mirror sites

Department of Sanskrit Studies, University of Hyderabad

 Thank you
jsraprasad@gmail.com

Department of Sanskrit Studies, University of Hyderabad