It gives me great pleasure in writing this foreword. This work contains the critically edited Sanskrit text with English translation and notes. Dr. Nina Bhavnagari has also added a detailed introduction to it.
The text called Yicaradipa of Bhagavatkavi is a text of the category called vada-grantha. In a vada-grantha a topic is chosen for discussion and the writer develops the discussion by critically examining the opinions of the other scholars on the same issue. Such texts can be appropriately called texts on 'Analytical Discourse.
It is, therefore, heartening to see. that Yicaradipa is being brought to light by Dr. Nina Bhavnagari for which she has been awarded the degree of Ph. D. by the MS University of Baroda.
The central issue in this text is to arrive at the concept of the referent of the term sastra. While engaging himself in the discourse the author of the text, Bhagavatkavi has dealt with various other relevant issues such as the relationships between a morpheme and its referent namely. sakti, laksana and vyaiijatui. The text is indeed most valuable from the point of view of the sastric tradition of Sanskrit.
Dr. Nina Bhavnagari has added additional utility features to this work by adding a detailed study which contains rich informations on the study of MS of the text, date and works of Bhagavatkavi, summary of the contents of the text, English translation and notes on the text and very useful indices.
Dr. Bhavnagari has followed scientific principles of editing a text and hence the text accepted by her is dependable. English translation of the text and notes are lucid, readable and authentic. This reflects good command of Dr. Bhavnagari over the language. logic, style and subject matter of the sastric Sanskrit text. It also reflects that she is familiar with various branches of sastric Sanskrit learning such as vyakara~, Nyaya, Mtmamsa etc.
I congratulate her for this good work and hope that scholars of Indian Intellectual Traditions will welcome it.
I wish that Dr. Bhavangari continues to work in the field of analytic Sanskrit traditions.