Manorama Kaha

SR No.: 002596
Original Sutra Author: Vardhmansuri
Author: Rupendrakumar Pagariya
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad
Publication Year: 1983
Total Pages: 402
Language: Sanskrit
Classification: Book_Devnagari & Literature
File Size: 11 MB

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INTRODUCTION The Manorama-kaha (MK.) of Vardhamāna-sūri, completed in 1140 V. S, (1083. 84 A. D.) at Dhandhuka in North Gujarat is an extensive didactic-narrative work in Prakrit. Its extent in traditional units is 16000 ślokas. It is a Jain Dharmakathā, preachiog various popular tenets of Jainism by means of num:rous illustrative tales. The fruits of acquiricg right religious faith, of practising religious vows of charity, chastity, austerity and renunciation, of observing the five major and seven minor Vratas etc.-such topics of sermon are illustrated through more than eightyse ven tales, some of which are fairly extensive and contaio emboxed tales. A majority of the tales are such as we frequently come across in the Jain narrative literature in general. Some of these, moreover, seem to have been devised by Vardhamāra-sûri himself following the general pattern of Jain didactic tales we find in hundreds in this type of religious-didactic works. But besides these, there is a number of tales which are highly interesting typologically as well as narratively, and having no direct religious import. They have clear signs of having been derived from folk literature, and in the case of several of them we can point out parallels and variants from old literary traditions and from currently prevălent folk-tales. We may cite some instances to illustrate the point. The emboxed tale of Šilasundari illustrating the merits of observing chastity (MK. pp 89-92) is known, partly or wholly, from various Indian works like the Jätakatthakatha (Paramtapa Jätaka, no 416) in Pali, the Akhyanaka-mani-kośa-vștti (the Rohini-ākhyāna) in Prakrit, the Nandopakhyāna in Sanskrit, various works called Nandabatriši in Old Cujarati (by Narapati, Simghakula, Sāmala Bhatta etc.) and Vārta Vairocan Mohaiu-ri in Early Rajasthani. The tale is also found outside India in the Lao version of the Pancatantra, and in the different versions of the Book of Sindbad in Arabic, Hebrew, Old Spanish etc.2
The highly interesting tale of the rogue Vacanasāra (Vacanasāra-dhūrta-katha, MK.pp. 258-262) is possibly the earliest known version so far of the tale-type The Rich and Poor Peasant (Aarne-Thompson Type Indtx no. 1535).
The tale of the royal monk Yava (MK.p.273) is known in the Jain tradition from several works like the commentaries on the Brhat-kalpa-sūtra and the Akhyanaka
1. See Bhayani H.C. Silasundari; Namda-batrisina Ek Prācīn Präkrt Rapāntar' (in Gujarati),
Phārbas Gujarati Sabha Traimāsik. Vol, 46, July-Sept. 1981, 163-166. The texts of the various
versions of the Nando pākhyāna have been edited and will be published at an early date. 2. See Artola G,T., The Banner of Kamadeva, Bombay, 1977,30-34. 3. For some of its versons current in India and outside see (i) Bhayani H.C., 'Srimamta Khedat
ane Garib Khedut E Lol kathā-nā Agyarmi Satabdimā maltu Bharatiya Rupāmtar (in Gujarăti) Phārbas Gujarati Sabha Traimēsik, Vol. 45, Oct-Dec. 1980,225-230; (2) Bharatiya KathaSahitya (in Gujarati), Patan, 1981, pp.7,(3) Acharya Shantibhai, 'Vetyo Katha' (in Gujarati), Bhasa-vimarsa III, 1980, 143-147.