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________________ MALLIKAMAKARANDA 419 Characters mentioned or persons referred to Vainateya - Name of a Vidyadhara King, lord of Rathanupuracakra valanagara, the husband of Candralekha whom he banished for her misconduct. Kirata-yuva -- A Forester-youth with whom Candralekha enjoyed love's dalliance. Jinadatta -- Name of a merchant, resident of Suvarnadvipa, and the father of Makaranda (the Hero). INTRODUCTION Ramacandra : His Life, Date and Works? Ramacandra was the chief disciple of the great Acarya Hemacandra (A. D. 1089-1173). He takes pride in mentioning this fact in the prologues of some of his plays.? The title "Kavikataramalla' was conferred on him by Siddharaja Jayasimha for his power of composing poems speedily or quickly. He had, it is said, lost one eye, although its precise cause is not known. He was a devout votary of Jainism, a fact attested to by the number of 'stotras' he wrote in praise of the Jinas. He was fearless. In spite of the orders of king Ajaypala he refused to impart knowledge to his fellow student Balacandra whom he considered to be an unworthy pupil. His works bear testimony to his love of freedom here on earth and ardent desire for freedom from the cycle of birth and death.3 Although he was a 'muni', whose chief essence is prasama (quietude) he had a keen aesthetic sense, he was a lover of literature, scientific as well as artistic. It appears from his stout defence of writing plays that he was severely criticised by his contemporary critics for writing plays treating of love, laughter, heroism, etc. It also appears that he was charged of plagiarism in his own days by his spiteful critics whom he effectively replies to and silences. He was a very learned monk as he was proficient in Grammar, Logic and Poetics. He was conversant with the art of singing, music and dance and was well versed in the ways of the world.? He proudly refers to himself as 'Prabandha-sata-karta'. But the works he wrote do not make the number '100'. We should interpret the "title' to mean 'an author who wrote a large number of works'. He wrote sastra(scientific) works like Dravyalamkara (with a commentary) and Natyadarpana (with a commentary) in collaboration with Gunacandra, and independently Haimabrahadvettinyasa. He wrote plays with a view to bringing round dull Jain Education International For Private & Personal Use Only www.jainelibrary.org
| SR No. | 001868 |
| Book Title | Studies in Jain Literature |
| 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 |