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## Translation:
**10**
**Harivansh Purana**
The text has been established by collating manuscripts from the Pannalal Saraswati Bhavan, Bombay, and the Oriental Research Institute, Mysore. We received significant assistance in this endeavor from Shri Pandit Kundanlalji Shastri and Pandit K. Shri Bhujabali Shastri of Moodbidri.
**[2] Harivansh Purana**
To my knowledge, three Harivansh Puranas exist. Two are in Sanskrit, and one is in Apabhramsha. The Apabhramsha Harivansh was composed by the great poet Raidhū. I saw a copy of it in the Jain temple of Kurawai (Sagar). Of the two Sanskrit Harivanshas, one was composed by Harivansh Brahmachari Jinadas. A copy of this is available at the Bhandarkar Research Institute in Pune. The composition is simple and concise. It only includes the narrative portion, excluding other descriptions that appear in Jinasena's Harivansh. The second Harivansh is by Acharya Jinasena, and its edition is in the hands of the readers.
Acharya Jinasena's Harivansh Purana holds a prominent position in the narrative literature of the Digambara sect. It is not only significant in terms of subject matter but also in terms of antiquity, ranking as the third Sanskrit narrative text. The first is Ravishena Acharya's Padma Purana, the second is Jatasimhanandi's Varangacharita, and the third is this Harivansh by Jinasena. Although Jinasena mentions Mahasena's Sulochana Katha and some other texts in his Harivansh, nothing can be said about them due to their unavailability. Jinasena, the author of Harivansh, remembers Jinasena Swami, the author of Parshvabhyudaya, at the beginning of his work. Therefore, his Mahapurana should precede Harivansh... This belief does not seem appropriate because Jinasena, while remembering Jinasena (the first) in his Harivansh Purana and mentioning his Parshvabhyudaya, does not mention the Mahapurana. This indicates that Jinasena (the first)'s Mahapurana was not composed before the composition of Harivansh. The Mahapurana is the last work of Jinasena Swami's life, which is why it remained incomplete. It was completed by his disciple Gunabhadracharya. After examining both Harivansh and Mahapurana, it seems that the author of Mahapurana composed it after seeing Harivansh. The detailed descriptions of the three realms, music, and the rules of vows, interspersed in the Harivansh Purana, detract from the beauty of the narrative. Therefore, in the Mahapurana, all these details are omitted, and a concise description is provided as needed. The language and the use of literary devices are also much more refined in the Mahapurana compared to the Harivansh Purana.
**[3] The Basis of Harivansh Purana**
Just as the basis of Jinasena's Mahapurana is the 'Vagarthasangrah Purana' by the great poet, similarly, Harivansh must have had some basis. Jinasena, the author of Harivansh, mentions a detailed and uninterrupted lineage of Acharyas from Bhagwan Mahavira to 683 years after him and up to his time in the last chapter of the original text. This makes it clear that his guru was Kirtipen, and he probably received the story of Harivansh from him.
Udyotan Suri, the author of Kuvalayamala (Vikram Samvat 835), praises Ravishena's Padmacharita and Jatasimhanandi's Varangacharita in his Kuvalayamala, just as he praises Harivansh. He writes, "I bow to Harivansh, beloved of thousands of wise men, the creator of Harivansh, the first to be worshipped, and the pure-footed."
1. Bahjan Sahas Daian Harivansuppattikarayan Padham. Vandami Bandiyam Pitu Harivansam Chetra Vimalapaayam ||38||