Madanrekha Akhyayika

SR No.: 002639
Original Sutra Author: Jinbhadrasuri
Author: Bechardas Doshi
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad
Publication Year: 1973
Total Pages: 304
Language: Sanskrit, Hindi
Classification: Book_Devnagari & Literature
File Size: 15 MB

Page 11

author, Jinabhadrasuri, was one of his four disciples, the other one's being Padmaprabha, Hemaprabha and Nemicandra, the last one being appointed to the preceptorial throne as a principal successor. Nemicandrasuri's two disciples, viz., Haribhadrasuri and Ratnaprabhasüri, are also mentioned.10 The author has given a few more details which might help us to some extent in locating them in the stream of the history of Gujarat.
But it would not be easy to identify our author until we cannot cross the hurdles in the form of a host of teachers bearing the same name and one and the same person having been a disciple of many preceptors at various stages for various purposes; and our success would depend much on the identity of the preceptors mentioned in the preceptorial line. The complicated nature of the problem of identity of these Jaina preceptors can be realised when one finds tens of acaryas bearing the same name, viz., Municandrasuri, Jinacandrasuri, Candraprabhasari, Jinabhadrasuri, Nemicandrasuri, and so on, are well known and already recorded in the history of Jaina monachism. It is, therefore, incumbent upon us to scan through the various preceptorial traditions and the dates of the known Jaina gcaryas as recorded in various Prabandhas, Pattavalis, Prasastis, and inscriptions.
(1) MUNICANDRASURI :
In the MRA, Municandrasuri is introduced as a recognized scholar,11 an outstanding leader in the preceptorial line of the extensive Bṛhad-gaccha (known in Prakrit as 'Vadda-gaccha' and popularly as Vada-gaccha' among the contemporary Jainas), as an author of poetic and scientific treatises,12 and as one responsible for building Jaina temples that he consecreted by setting golden cushion-member (amalasaraka) on to their tops.18
The Jaina preceptorial tradition records at least fifteen notable acaryas known by the name Municandrasurl'; they flourished between the twelfth
2
8. Ibid., vs. 51:
सच्छिष्याः पद्मप्रभ हेमप्रभ-नेमिचन्द्र- जिनभद्राः ।
9. Ibid., vs, 52:
श्री चन्द्रप्रभसूरि पट्टतिलकः श्रीनेमिचन्द्रो गणिः ॥
10. Ibid., vs. 53:
हरिभद्रसूरि-रत्नप्रभाभिधौ यस्य शिष्यवरौ ॥
11. Ibid., vs. 40:
ज्ञान क्रियाभ्याससुधासमुद्र यं मन्यते चेतसि दुर्जनोऽपि ॥
12. Cf. supra. vs. 41
13.
MRA. Intro. vs. 42:
न सुवर्णामलसारकविश्चमया विरहितानि शास्त्राणि ।
वहितानि येन लोके प्रतिष्ठितानि तु जिनेन्द्रभुवनानि