Later editions have taken into account the supplements and errata columns and have rectified the main sections accordingly. But it is important to note that later editors of this dictionary have included certain meanings which were not found in the main, supplement or errata columns of the first full edition. For example, the word அரி has many meanings and in the fourth edition the words அழகு and அரிப் பிடி are included among the meanings. These were previously not given in the first edition.

Also in the arrangement according to the alphabetical order certain changes were made in the 4th edition. For example பருதி was made into பரிதி and brought higher up in the arrangement.

Due to all these various reasons enumerated above, we are not in a safe position to declare definitely the exact number of words collected by Beschi. Here it is of interest to recollect what Rhenius says “in all the Tamil books, there are other errors of various kinds owing to the circumstance of their being all in manuscript. No two copies agree together. The prose works of the learned Beschi’s have much of the same character.”⁹

Beschi’s Caturakarāti is a great improvement on the earlier Nikaṇṭu and it is of immense value. Its value becomes all the more striking when we for instance compare it with Cūṭāmaṇi Nikaṇṭu, Beschi gives many more meanings for a word than Cūṭāmaṇi Nikaṇṭu. For example:-

For āṟu the Nikaṇṭu gives only eight meanings, while Beschi’s list contains twentyone more.

9. Rhenius, C. T. E. “A Grammar of the Tamil Language” Introduction P. 5