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 381

HARIVIJAYA OF SARVASENA INTRODUCTION In his works srngaraprakasa (SP) and Sarasvatikanthabharana (SK) Bhoja quotes from a number of Prakrit works, some of which are now lost. In his SP he mentions in one breath three Prakrit mahakavyas : Ravanavijaya (RV), Harivijaya (HV) and Setubandha (SB), composed in asvasakas. The prevailing metre of a Prakrit mahakavya is skandhaka. So these three Prakrit mahakavyas were composed in the skandhaka metre. Of these the first two, RV and HV, appear to be irretrievably lost. It is indeed a pity we have only one skandhaka verse from RV preserved to us in the form of a quotation in SP. We are, however, somewhat fortunate to have at least a quarter of century of skandhaka verses which we can definitely ascribe to HV on the strength of their contents and (or) on the basis of clear reference by Anandavardhana and Bhoja. There are nearly a century of verses cited by Bhoja in his SP and SK which are in Maharastri Prakrit and are composed in the skandhaka metre. As they are not found in SB, they may have been drawn from RV or HV as no other Prakrit mahakavya in the skandhaka metre is known to have been composed. Most probably they are drawn from HV since Bhoja has copiously drawn on HV for his illustrations whereas he has cited only a solitary skandhaka verse from RVI. Sarvasena composed, it is surmised,? his HV about a hundred years earlier than Pravarasena's SB (first half of the fifth century A. D.). Eminent Sanskrit alankarikas, viz. Anandavardhana, Kuntaka and Bhoja speak appreciatively of Sarvasena's HV. (i) Anandavardhana observes in his Dhvanyaloka (pp. 335-336) : इतिवृत्तवशायातां कथञ्चिद्रसाननुगुणां स्थितिं त्यक्त्वा पुनरुत्प्रेक्ष्याप्यन्तराभीष्टरसोचितकथोन्नयो विधेयः यथा कालिदासप्रबन्धेषु / यथा च सर्वसेनविरचिते हरिविजये / Abhinavagupta, his commentator, thus explains in his Locana (p. 335) : ....कालिदासेति / रघुवंशेऽजादीनां राज्ञां विवाहादिवर्णनं नेतिहासेषु निरूपितम् / हरिविजये