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________________ A BRIEF SURVEY OF JAIN LITERATURE... 503 The life of Rsabha is told in the introductory sections of the Rama epics. The lives of Krsna and the Pandavas, the contemporaries of the Tirthankara Neminatha, are told in the Jain counterparts of the Mahabharata. We have more than a dozen life-stories of Neminatha. The number of poetical lifestories of Parsvanatha is very great. Jinasena, the author of Adipurana, wrote his Parsvabhyudaya in the 9th century A. D. It incorporates the entire Meghaduta of Kalidasa by inserting one or two lines from it in each verse. It serves as an example of Samasyapurana (a poetical exercise consisting of one or two lines of a stanza being given and the completion of it by the poet). The Parsvanathacaritra by Bhavadeva Suri was composed in 1255 A. D. It tells with a wealth of detail not only the lifestory of Parsvanatha in his last birth but also his previous nine births. The poet inserts in the narrative numerous stories, fables and fairytales. He also adds many gnomic sayings both on morality and on worldly wisdom. A santinathacaritra in Sanskrit verses was composed by Deva Suri in 1282 A. D. Somaprabha (latter half of the 12th century A. D.) wrote his Sumatinatha-carita in Prakrit. The work treats of the life of the 5th Jina. Some of the Caritas by the svetambara poets describe the lives of individual Jinas while some others treat of the lives of all the 63 'salaka purusas together. The Cauppannamahapurisacariya of Silanka, mentioned above, relates the lifestories of 54 great men and the 9 Prativasudevas together in one volume. Another important work of this type is the Trisastisalakapurusacarita by the celebrated Jain Acarya Hemacandra (latter half of the 12th century A. D.). It consists of ten Parvans in simple and unaffected Sanskrit. Hemacandra himself describes the work as a mahakavya. The main purpose of the work is, however, instruction and edification. The narrative is often interrupted by long instructive discourses on the subjects of dharma (religion) and morality. The doctrine of karma is illustrated by describing the destinies in the former births of each one of the salakapurusas. In the first parvan we have the life of Rsabha, the first Tirthankara in his previous births. The tenth parvan relates the Life of Mahavira. It is of some significance from the historical point of view as it supplies detailed data regarding King Srenika Bimbisara, the contemporary of Mahavira and Buddha. Hemacandra also describes in the form of a prophecy of Mahavira the ideal reign of his pious pupil King Kumarapala. The Parisistaparvan or Sthaviravalicarita i.e.,: "Appendix-Section" or 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 |