Views

Introduction

Welcome to the views section of the Digital Shikshapatri. Here you can view the Shikshapatri in it's original form. However, as an online manuscript it also has many additional features to enable easy access to different pages and related materials such as audio and video.

Types of view

The are two types of view available: Study View and Darshan View. 'Study View' is the most useful view for anyone who is new to the Shikshapatri or wishes to study the manuscript using the many features available such as media clips, glossary and audio recitations. 'Darshan view' is intended primarily for the use of those wishing to use the Digital Shikshapatri in their daily prayer, or who prefer a simplified view of the manuscript. To enter either view, select it from the Views submenu on the left hand side of this page.

Using the Study View interface

Setting the translation:
There are a number of translations to select from, however those who are new to the Shikshapatri would probably like to start with the 'Default' translation. This translation was specially prepared by the project in conjunction with all the site contributors.

To select a different translation, select it from the drop down list as shown below:

Digital Shikshapatri will then remember your choice of translation for next time you visit the site.

Clicking on the verse title (e.g. 'Verse 1') will bring up the selected translation, a transliteration and the commentary by Nityananda Muni in a seperate window. Click on 'show all translations' to compare different translations of the same verse.

To view to a particular verse, select it from the list menu as shown below:

Using the icons:
The icons shown below allow you to view or listen to additional content related to the current verse of the Shikshaptri.

	Highlight this verse: Clicking on this icon highlights the current verse and greys out the rest of the pages, this can be particularly useful to illustrate which part of the manuscript is covered in the audio or video clips.
	Remove highlighting: Clicking on this icon sets the manuscript view back to it's original unhighlighted state.
	Play sound: The first time you attempt to access audio or video content you will be asked to configure your prefered media and bandwidth settings (see preferences). You will be able to modify these settings later by clicking preferences icon in the upper right-hand corner of the manuscript study view. Clicking on this icon will open a window with an audio clip of the current verse. The audio was kindly donated to the Project by Shree Swaminarayan Gadi Sansthan Maninagar (Golders Green, London).
	Show video: Clicking on this icon will open a video clip of the current verse being read out by Yogi Charan Das, a Swami (Hindu monk) from the Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) organisation. The original video was produced by the University of Oxford's Media Production Unit for the Indian Institute Library at the Bodleian Library in Oxford. We are grateful to BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir (Neasden) for granting us permission to use the video.
	Show picture: Clicking on these icons will display pictorial versions of the verse. The two sets of pictorial Shikshapatri images were kindly donated by Shree Swaminarayan Temple, Willesden, London and Shree Swaminarayan Bhagwan Kalakendra Trust respectively.

Setting up media preferences

	Preferences: By clicking on this icon you can change your media settings. The media on this website is intended to work on most computers. However, for the best experience, we recommend that you download and install Apple QuickTime 6 so that you can view MPEG-4 streaming video and MP3 Audio. You can check the Apple website to see if your computer meets the requirements for this software.
	Help: The help icon links to general help on the views section.

Using the Darshan View interface

There are three means of navigating through the Shikshapatri in Darshan View, either by selecting a page (recto or verso) from the drop down menu, by clicking on the manuscript or by using the forward and back icons: