एतत् पृष्ठम् अपरिष्कृतम् अस्ति
66 OUTLINES OF THE HISTORY OF SANSKRIT occasioned by different methods of writing. As a result of the perishable nature of these materials really ancient Indian manuscripts are rare. The oldest are those that have been discovered, in a more or less fragmentary condition, in the dry soil of Central Asia* The bulk of Sanskrit literature is preserved only in manuscripts belonging to the last few centuries.
