Studies in Jain Literature

SR No.: 001868
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: V M Kulkarni
Publisher: Shardaben Chimanbhai Educational Research Centre
Publication Year: 2001
Total Pages: 114
Language: English
Classification: Book_English, Literature, & Story
File Size: 14 MB

Page 175

TYPES OF STORIES IN SANSKRIT AND PRAKRIT.... 157 The Dasavaikalikasutra-niryukti (gatha no. 207) lists the following vikathas : 1. strikatha, 2 bhaktakatha, 3. rajakatha, 4. Corajanapada katha, 5. natanartakajallamustikakatha. The first three types have already been explained. 4. talk about a thief -'a thief was caught today', 'he was thus hurt or oppressed'; 'talk about a janapada--that a particular region or place is so lovely', etc., and 5. talk about an actor, dancer, or a person doing tight rope-walking, a rope dancer or a wrestler. Uddyotanasuri in his Kuvalayamala (779 A. D.) lists five types of stories : 1. sakalakatha, 2. khandakatha, 3. ullapakatha 4. parihasakatha and, 5. samkirnakatha. Sakalakatha (The entire story) follows its hero through a series of lives. The working out of actions and their results through several lives of the hero forms its subjectmatter. It is, as the name suggests, of very great length. Hemacandra gives Haribhadrasuri's Samaradityakatha (8th century) as its example.although Haribhadra himself says his is a dharmakatha. The Khandakatha ("short story') narrates an episode from a long narrative which is already known through some other work. Hemacandra gives Indumati as its example. This work however is not extant. Both these types of katha are known to be written in Prakrit only. The Ullapakatha deals with voyage or love between a young man and a young woman which demands adventures on their part. The Parihasa-katha is 'an amusing story' The samkirna-katha is one which is distinguished by the characteristics of all the types of katha, which is charming with its erotic sentiment (srngararasa), which has its various constituent parts well-knit and which delights (the readers) with the display of knowledge of various arts. Uddyotanasuri declares that this samkirnakatha is threefold : 1. dharma, 2. artha- and 3. kama-katha. The samkirnakatha is marked by all the distinguishing features and shows at the end the attainment of all three ends of human life. It deserves notice that as against the Dasavaikalika niryukti, which gives all the four dharmakatha, etc. as the four types of katha, the Kuvalayamala gives the three dharma-, artha- and kama-katha as the three kinds of the samkirnakatha. Like Haribhadrasuri Uddyotanasuri too gives the four sub-types of the dharmakatha and briefly yet lucidly explains them : Of the four sub-types, the first aksepani is pleasant or agreeable to the mind, the second viksepani unpleasant or disagreeable to the mind, the third samvega-janani is the mother of, that is the source or cause of right knowledge and the fourth nirvedajanani is the mother of, that is, the cause of vairagya, indifference to worldly objects and to life.