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________________ DHARMARATNAKARANDAKA OF VARDHAMANA-SURI Ed. by Municandravijaya-gani 24 + 438. 24 cm. x 18 cm. Cloth Rs. 250/ Published by Sharadaben Chimanbhai Educational Research Centre, Ahmedabad, 1994. Vardhamana-suri, who was the chief disciple of Abhayadeva-suri, the famous. commentator of the Jaina agamas, carried out his literary activity in Gujarat round about A. D. 1100. Of his three known works, the Manorama-kaha (MK) edited by Rupendrakumar Pagaria, was published in 1983 and the Jugaijinimda-cariya, also edited by Pagaria, had appeared in print in 1987. The present work is the third by the same author. As against the former two which are in Prakrit, the Dharmaratnakarandaka (DRK) is in Sanskrit. It has 376 verses distributed over 20 chapters. It is commented upon by the author himself. The commentary is mostly in verse and the total extent of the work is about 10,000 Anustubh units. The commentary gives about 53 illustrative stories. DRK. is in the long line of religiousdidactic tracts, broadly describable as the Sravakacara, the discipline in the form of injunctions and prohibitions relating to the conduct of the pious Jaina lay man. The code was periodically revised and restated with varying degree of emphasis on its different aspects, but there was a common core of topics treated. The instruction was accompanied by numerous illustrative stories, many of which formed a common pool of repertoire upon which a particular writer drew as required. The later writers freely took over such stories from the earlier ones, rendered Prakrit stories in Sanskrit or vice versa, or retold, abridged, or expanded them to suit their purpose. The same story was also at times used by the writer in his different works. The title Dharmaratnakarandaka immediately reminds us Ratnakarandaka, ascribed by Prabhacandra (c. A. D. 1025-1060) to Samantabhadra and his senior contemporary Vadiraja (A. D. 1025) to Yogindra. The editor of DRK. has identified and indicated in numerous cases the original sources on which Vardhamana-suri has depended and has also pointed out where the latter has utilized portions from his own two earlier works. The Introduction gives the necessary information about the Mss. used, the method followed in setting up the text, and brief observations on the special features of the content and the comparative and folkloristic aspects of some illustrative stories. Interestingly, we find a reference (on p. 266) to Haribhadra-suri's Kathanaka-kosa which was so far known from a single reference, of Sumati-gani's in his commentary on the Ganadharasardhasataka (H. R. Kapadia, Sri Haribhadrasuri, 1963, p. 85). The Sanskrit language of DRK. possesses many features of what is known as popular or hybrid Jaina Sanskrit (Sanskritized colloquial expressions forms like takat for tat, tvayaka for tvaya, etc. to meet the exegencies of the metre, rare grammatical
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________________ H. C. Bhayani Nirgrantha forms, etc.). Once in a while, we find therein an Anustubh-pada of nine syllables, (p. 74, v.285, p. 76, v. 338). 106 The stylistic variation ranges from simple, racy, colloquial, to ornately descriptive. The author is well adept in handling the traditional narrative and descriptive traditions, and has freely exploited the treasures of the available subhasitas. As to the Apabhramisa passages of DRK. it is necessary to deal with them separately. Here I shall point out the lexicographical importance of two specific words occuring in DRK. dhakkari In the illustrative tale of 'A rankle-prone potter' (---; MK, pp. 39 ff. DRK, pp. 382 ff.) it is said that, in the big hall of his house, beggars and wanderers from various places used to lodge and at night they would tell lots of absurd yarns which would cause rankling to the potter and he would loose his sleep. The text in MK. reads as follows: vasaMti tIe [ sAlAe] nANAdesAgayA kappaDiya taDiyAo / jaMpati miliyA ravaNIe aghaDamANa- Thikkara- sayANi ya aNakkha-vasa-vigaya- Niddo / kayatthei aNakkha bahulo Niya-siraM khaluMkAhi // (pR. 39 ) The corresponding Sanskrit passage in DRK is as follows: basanti tasyAM [zAlAyAM] nAnAdezAgatAH kAryaTikAdayaH, vadanti ca rajanyAmaghaTamAnakAniTakara-zatAni anakSa-vaza-vigata-- nidro roSavazayaparigatazcUrNayati TakkarAbhiranakSabahulo nija- mastakam / Here thikkara- in the Pk. passage and in the Sk. passage are corrupt readings. The real word is dhakkari, 'unbelievably marvelous." Siddhahema 8-4-422 has recorded dhakkari in the sense of Sk. adbhuta and illustrated it (dhakkari-sara, 'of unbelievably wondrous strength'). In Svayambhu's Paumacariya we have. jage loehi karivaMtaehi uppAiDa bhaMti maMtaehi / "The deluded people at large, through their unbelievable miraculous accounts, have produced delusions." The Tippana on the word dhakkarivainitaehim is hathoktiyuktail. But here also dhakkari does not mean "a dogmatic statement, but rather a tall wonderous statement." The poet means to say that people have been spinning long yarns with respect to the narrative of Rama.
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________________ Vol.1-1995 Dharmaratnakarandaka.... 107 asaddhala Among the several gnomic verses cited on MK. p. 369 to support the observation that for one devoid of religious merits (nispunya), all efforts and industry become fruitless, the following Apabhramsa verse occurs: ujjamu kajjaraMbhiyaunahi kiM karai dhanau pagu vinavei asaThThalu saMbhavai / sUraha satta turaMma gayaNi bhamaMtAha vibhaha koDigaiMdaha pau viyaditAha // (98) The text seemingly is defective. The following tentative restoration is suggested: ujjamu kajjAraMbhi aputraha kiM karai dhannau pagu vi na dei asaGghalu saMbhavai / sUraha satta turaMgahi paNu (?) na bhamaMtAhi labbhai koDi gaiMdahiM pau vi Na ditAhi // (Sanskrit chaya:) udyamaH kAryArambhe apuNyasya kiM karoti dhanyaH padam api na dadAti asAmAnyam saMbhavati / sUryasya sapta turaMgaiH paNaH na bhramadbhiH labhyate koTiH gajaindaiH padam api na dadadbhiH // Here asaddhalu sanibhavai means "extraordinary things materilize." At Siddhahema 8. 4. 422(8) Ap. assaddhalu is recorded with the meaning Sk. asadharana and in the illustration cited there asaddhalu nehu = asadharanah snehah. The Paiya-sadda-mahannavo or the Desi-sabda-kosa have not recorded asaddhala. No another occurrence of the word is so far known from Prakrit-Apabhramsa literature. Panyasa Muni Chandravijaya and the Sharadaben Chimanbhai Educational Research Centre deserve credit for bringing out this work which, from the production point of view, too, is excellent. Postscript Sometime after the note on asaddhala was completed, I came across another occurrence of that word in an Apabhramsa text. In the Svayambhucchandas of Svayambhu (later half of the 9th century A.C.), the text of the verse illustrating the metre Chaddania (an Antara catuspadi type having 12 + 9 Matras in both the halves), as given by the editor, H. D. Velankar with the Sanskrit Chaya of the verse is as follows:
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________________ 108 H. C. Bhayani Nirgrantha lagga ha(a)Nea asaGkalu, tuha calaNehiM paNau / jima jANahiM tima pAlahi, kiMkara appaNau // lagnAH aneke zraddhAlavaH tava caraNayoH praNatAH / yathA jAnAsi tathA pAlaya, kiMkaram Atmanaiva 11 According to me, the text of the verse is somewhat corrupt and the meaning of the verse is also different. I give below the emended text and its translation : lagaa - Neha - asaGkalu, tuha calaNehiM paNau / jivaM jANahi tiyaM pAlahi, kiMkaru appaNau // 'This person to whom has adhered extraordinary (devotional) love (for you) and who has bowed down to your feet -- protect this servant of thine, as thou deem it proper'. Here also asaddhala = asadharana. The form can be analysed as at Saddha + La. But Saddhala is unknown in the sense of sadharana. H. C. Bhayani