This dictionary contains about 40,000 Tibetan terms (words, names and technical terms) and more than 150,000 Sanskrit synonyms. The dictionary does not only list for each word the Sanskrit equivalents which occur in Sanskrit texts translated into Tibetan but also in many instances it indicates the context. The sources used by J.S. Negi are 86 texts, eleven dictionaries and ten kosas. The sources comprise many sutras, sastras and Tantric texts. Non-Buddhist texts have also been consulted as, for instance, the Kavyadarsa, the Unadivrtti and the Candronadivrtti.
The dictionary has been very carefully planned. As explained in the instructions for users, the following principles have been followed:-
a. if there is more than one Sanskrit equivalent having roughly the same meaning, the equivalents are arranged according to their frequency.
b. if there are several Sanskrit equivalents with different meaning, they are classified under Arabic numerals 1, 2 etc.
c. when a word has only one Sanskrit equivalent which has different meanings, the meanings are arranged under Arabic numerals.
d. when a word has different Sanskrit equivalents but one of them has different meanings, they are arranged under Roman numerals (for example : rkan-pa 1. padah i. sariravayava-visesah; ii. asanader angam, etc.).
e. when the meaning of a Sanskrit equivalent is unclear in its context, this is indicated with the numeral 0.
f. in cases of doubt in determining the Sanskrit equivalent an asterisk is placed before it.
This dictionary is great use for the study of Sanskrit and Tibetan texts. According to the introduction the dictionary is compiled primarily for the purpose of restoration work of Tibetan texts into Sanskrit. |
