________________
[ 26 ]
(?) - priftif () - guftuf () - grifauft () - $ercaF ().
According to a stone inscuption dated V.S. 1597, īśvarsūri, the author of LR. inaugurated the setting up again of the icon of the Tirtharikara Rsabhadeva in a temple at Nādalāi. That icon was said to be established there originally by Yaśobhadrasūri in V.S. 964 through his Mantra-sakti, but was possibly destroyed or became dilapidated during the course of time. His stonc inscription of V.S. 1557 and an inscription on metal image dated V.S. 1560 are also known.
Iśvarasüri has written numerous works in Sanskrit and Old Gujarati. They are : 1. wa-farer-4920-Frau, . afstanafa or
72 suufo (v.s. 1561), 3. sit4181915 or frost 14$ (v.s. 1564), 4.
G4791-79 (1275),5. fifcurfa-gufetti (73 to 76 verses), 6. यशोभद्रसूरिप्रबंध or फाल्गु-चिंतामणि, 7. मेदपाट- स्तवन (सटीक), 8. सुमित्र-चरित्र (V.S. 1581), 9. TA -TIA (6 verses). Of these Nos. 2, 3, 5, 9 are obviously in Old Gujarati. Nos. 1, 4, 6, 7, 7 were possibly in Sanskrit.
ललितांगचरित्र was written is दशपुर (in मालवदेश) at the request of Pumjarāja, who was the chief minister (1470-414705) of king Nāsira, son of Gyāsuddina, ruling at #546 in A ach. Pumjarāja belonged to the श्रीमालवंश. He was son of सोनी and रायजीवन. His wife was संसारदेवी.
His brothers were मुंजराज and मदन who were also ministers. पुंजराज himself had some literary works to his credit besides being a man of literary taste and patron of literature.
Sources of information : (1) Concluding Puspikā at the end of the first, third and fourth Adhikära of LC. (2) The information first given by C.D. Dalal (quoted in no. 3). (3) Jain Gurjara Kavio (revised edition) 1, pp. 219-221. (4) Gujarāti Sāhityakoś, p. 26.
Thus as regards the theme LC. is different from the Samdesarāsaka which has an event as its theme and which is devoted to poctic treatment of that event and comequently qualifies like Taco as a gust. LC. on the other hand is as observed before a चरितकाव्य.
One more point to be noted is the feature of dividing the poem into sections based on the divisions of the theme Saṁdeśarāsaka is di
vided into three Prakramas, while le is divided into four Adhikāras. Jain Education International For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
