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The Jaina Contribution to Indian Poetics
Dr. K. Krishnamoorthy
A number of studies are available giving an idea of the number of Jaina authors on Alankaraśāstra. The object of this paper is not to add to their number by mechanically cataloging them in a historical order. I would like to highlight a few points which are solid contributions by Jaina thinkers to the mainstream of indian thought on poetry and which are in the nature of new watersheds or new turns given to conventional ideas.
It is long known to scholars that the earliest reference to nine rasas of "kāvya" (nava kāvyarasa) is to be found in Anuogaddāra, an early cononical text. It is also realised that the first mention of śānta under the name pasänto (Skt. praśānta) is to be had here ; and Velanao (Skt. vridanaka) is reckoned here in place of bhayānaka (Vide, Āgamodaya Samiti Series Edition, p. 134). But what is not usually emphasized is the fact that Kaluno (Skt. Karuna) is used here in a special sense, viz. that of Karunā, i.e. pity or compassion and not in the usual sense of 'sorrow' (soka). The word has a masculine ending as it agrees in gender with its substantive in masculine gender, viz. rasa. But its meaning was not 'sorrow' as it was commonly understood in the tradition of Bharata's Nafyaśāstra. That is why, while listing the names of rasas in the chapter on Nāļya in his famous lexicon Amarakoșa, the Buddhist lexicographer states the following synonyms all of which refer to 'pity', 'pathos', 'compassion etc, and not even one which means 'sorrow' or 'suffering':
Karunyar karuna-ghrna krpa daya-anukampā syāt anukrośo'pi (Loc. cit. VIII. 226)
This new tradition is corroborated by the first Jaina author in Kannada on poetics, viz. havirā. jamarga (9th century A.D.), who more than once, uses the expression karunā-rasa instead of karuna-rasa; and who recommends the literary quality of Mşdurā or 'softness of heari' as most appropriate for its delineation in poetry. That he was following the Jaina tradition is clear also by his use of the name * prašānta' instead of śānta in his enumeration of rasas (Loc. cit. II. 100). The example cited for karunā rasa by this author, (Nrpatunga or his protege, Srivijaya deva, as sometimes averred) describes the love-lorn condition of a heroine and calls upon the hero to show pity on her (III. 191); there is no question of eternal 'sorrow of bereavement' consequent upon death of the beloved here.
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आचार्यरत्न श्री देशभूषण जी महाराज अभिनन्दन ग्रन्थ
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________________ The Jaina shift in emphasis from downright misery of characters to situations involving human sympathy or pity is a major turn from the perspective of literary criticism. It is a major turn because it changes the very goal of literature too, centred on man. The Jaina view of worldly life or samsara is such that it encourages the rise of renunciation (vairagya) conducive to prasanta-rasa on the one hand and to pity (karuna-rasa) on the other. Poetry for poetry's sake' is ruled out; only poetry for religion's sake gets priority. The Jainas have an infinitely vast story-literature in Sanskrit, Praksta, Apabhramsa and modern Indian languages. But they are always dharma-kathas or religious stories or legends; and they inculcate the highest spiritual value in a sugar-coated way through. This point is made explicit in the very invocatory verse of Hemacandra's Kavyanusasana : Akstrima-svadu-padan paramarthabhidhayinin sarvabhasaparinatan Jainim Vacamu pasmahe In explaining the above verse in his auto-commentary, Hemacandra further observes : Vairagyopajananamitivsttam prastuyate ityavadatakathanena vairag yahe tutvad dharmakathayah parama purusarthabhi dhayaktvan asti. The religious myth or story or poem contributes indirectly to the achieveinent of the summum bonum or ultimate enlightenment as it engenders a sense of revulsion to worldly pleasures. This view may be puritao ; but that is the Jaina view of man. Man deserves pity of the wise or the Enlightened saints for his indulgences due to ignorance ! This reminds us of the famous English remark :-"Life is a tragedy to those who think and a comedy to those who feel !" III The Jaina idea of the Goddess of learning or Sarasvati also deserves our consideration. We have already seen her description by Hemacandra as sarvabhasa-parinata or embodiment of all languages on earth. Manikyacandra, the Jaina author of the earliest commentary, viz. Sanketa on Mammata's Kavyaprakasa makes this, much more explicit. According to him, the speech of Arhat Himself is that Sarasvati, not any other goddess associated with any individual god as in Hindu mythology. She dwells in the mouth of Arhat and is the Mother of all humanity. Without her grace, nothing can dawn upon the minds of even the learned ! Hence though people widely differ on the issue of praiseworthy divinities, there is an exceptionally complete concensus among one and all about the praiseworthiness of Sarasvati! Nor is it surprising, because she upholds Wisdom : Stutyan tannasti nunam jagati na janata yatra badham vidadhyat anyonya-spardhino'pi tvayi tu nuti-vidhan vadino nirvivadah yat tatcitram na kincit sphurasi matimatam manase visvamatah brahmi tvam yena dhatse sakalanayamayani rupam arhanmukhastha (Op. cit, Mysore edn., 1974, p. 7) जैन साहित्यानुशीलन
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________________ Thus it is that we can appreciate Namisadhu (writer of a prestigious commentary on Rudrata's Kavyalankara when he postulates 'ultimate wisdom (samyagjnana) as the sthayibhava of santa-rasa (Op. cit. XVI. 15). This idea came to be adopted later by the highest Hindu authorities also like Abhinavagupta. Bhoja in his Sarasvatikanthabharana (Kavyamala series, Bombay, 1925, p. 524-5) regards a of heart" as the ruling sentiment fostered by reflection of the highest Truth : Kasyacidupasantapraksteh dhira-santa-nayakasya vastutattvalocanadibhih uddipyamanah... This is why the Jaina pontiff (chief priest) palyakirti is quoted by Raja-sekhara in his Kavya mimamsa (Gaekwad Oriental Series Edn., 1934, p. 46) as saying that 'to a lover sporting in his beloved's company and passing the whole night like a moment, the moon might appear cool ; while to another man love-lorn and suffering pangs of separation from his sweetheart, the same moon light be veritably a scorching fire like a comet. But to a monk like me, who has no wife, and no separation either, the moon is but a round mirror in shape, neither hot nor cold : Yesam vallabhaya samam ksanamiva sphara ksapa ksiyate tesam sitatarah sasi virahimamulkeva santapaklt asmakam na tu vallabha na virahah tenobhayabhramsinam indu rajati darpana kstirayam nosno na va sitalah IV Jaina writers like Manikyacandra also furnish authentic information about lost works in Indian poetics. We know that all works on poetics before Bhamaha's Kavyalankara have been lost by the ravages of time. When Bhamaha refers to a view of earlier thinkers as in Rupakadimalarkaram bahyamacaksate pare... (I. 14) "Others observe that figures of speech like metaphor are 'external, because they hold grammatical accuracy of nouns and verbs to be the first norm of figurative beauty !". How are we to know who these 'others' are ? Manikyacandra in his Sanketa (Kavya-prakasa, Mysore edn., pt. I, p. 485) states unambiguously : Gauda-matametat "This is the view of Gaudas'. That this is not a wild surmise, but a statement of fact is proved by Banabhatta's testimonia to this very view : Gaudesvaksaradambarah (Harsacarita 1.7) आचार्यरत्न श्री देशभूषण जी महाराज अभिनन्दन अन्य .
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________________ Similarly, when Mammata quotes a Praksta Gatha (Kavyaprakasa, VII. 218, Mysore edn., pt. II p. 80)-- Jam pariharium tirai... Manikyacandra, like a modern scholar, adds the source in all detail : Anandavardhaniya-pancabanalilakathagathheyam In one word, he has told us that it is a verse in Prakrit gatha metre; the name of the poem is Pancabana-lila ; and that it belongs to the literary form of Katha or verse-poem. The value of such precise information to research scholars is inestimable. Jaina writers have also given us very objective literary judgements. We might cite here one impartial judgement of the prestigious biography of Harsa by Banabhatta who is usually adorated as an incarnation of Sarasvati Herself! Manikyacandra states that having introduced the topic of Harsa's warlike glory in the work, Bana had no business to stray far away into a long irrelevant excursion on his autobiography. This has spoilt the unity of the work : Harsakhyayikayan 'jayati jvalad...'ityadina Harsotkarsavad-vijaya-bijamupaksipya anupayogi-Bananvayasya Varnanam. (Loc. cit., II, p. 177) VI We might close this article by indicating a line of critical survey of concepts, thoroughly attempted only by Jaina writers, on Poetics, like Hemacandra and Manikyacandra. The development in the concept of gunas from Bharata to Mammata, undergoing substantial variations in Bhamaha, Dandin, Udbhatta, Vamana and Mangalam-is laid bare at great length in the works of both these authors. Judging from the style of this first-band material, it appears as if they have given us the lost chapter of Rajasekhara himself on the subject of gunas from his Kavyamimamsa. It is only a hypothesis, yei to be proved on more solid evidence. Yet the foregoing considerations would show how the contribution of Jainas to the development of Indian poetics is both substantial and significant. जैनाचार्य एवं जनभाषा जैनाचार्य जहां भी गये, उन्होंने वहां की जनभाषा को अपनाया और उसे प्रभावकारी माध्यम के रूप में समद्ध किया। उनके लिए भाषा एक माध्यम मात्र थी। उन्होंने भाषा को अभिव्यक्ति का माध्यम बनाया। उनका उद्देश्य, सामाजिक जन-मानस को सद-आचरण के लिए शिक्षित करना था ताकि समाज को स्थिर आधार मिले / इसीलिए उन्होंने अपनी शक्ति को ऐसे साहित्य के निर्माण में लगाया जो समाज के आचार-विषयक स्तर और नैतिक मूल्यों को उन्नत करे / - स्व० डॉ० आ० दे० उपाध्ये नैन साहित्यानुशीलन 43