Bhaktamara Kalyanmandir Namiun Stotratrayam

SR No.: 003015
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Hiralal R Kapadia
Publisher: Devchand Lalbhai Pustakoddhar Fund
Publication Year: 1932
Total Pages: 408
Language: Sanskrit
Classification: Book_Devnagari & Literature
File Size: 24 MB

Page 19

FOREWORD
part of it which is concerned with Mánatunga, is not intrinsically connected with the first one which, as we have seen, is of Brahmanical invention. We do not hear of any encounter or conflict between Mānatunga and his pretended rivals. The motive of combining the names of these three persons in one literary story is obvious; they were the authors of the three most celebrated hymns which were believed to have worked miracles, and it was but natural that the Jaina story-teller should endeavour to make out the superiority of his candidate. All this may have come about without a true synchronism between Bāņa, Mayūra, and Mānatunga, for which there is no historical evidence whatsoever. We must, therefore, reject the legendary tradition about such a synchronism as void of chronological value. .
I shall now discuss the information about Mānatunga contained in the Pattāvalīs, basing my inquiry on Dr. Klatt's extracts from the Kharatara and Tapāgachchhas (Indian Antiquary vol. xi, p. 245 ff.), and Munisundarasūri's Gurvāvalı (of the Tapāgachchha) composed sam. 1466=1410 A, D. (Yas'ovijaya. granthamālā No. 4). The Pattāvalis furnish the list of teachers in the main line, with some notices about them, from Mahāvīra down to recent times. They seem to be based on historical documents and deserve credit as far as they deal with the history of the particular gachchha to which they belong. It is, however, quite different as regards the list of teachers preceding the founding of the gachchas, especially as regards the successors of Chandra (the 18th teaher in Kharatara, and the 15th in the Tapā list) who was the founder of the Chāndrakula. A comparative study of the Prabhāvaka-charita and the Gurvāvali reveals several discrepancies and contradictions, which the latter work attempts to reconcile somehow. The historical value of this part of the list (the line of teachers in the Chandrakula) is, therefore, open to grave doubts. Here, however, we are concerned only with the notices about Mānatunga who is the 23rd teacher in the list of the Kharatara, and the 21st in that of the Tapā gachchha. According to both the lists his predecessor was Mānadeva and his successor Vira; but, according to the Prabhāvaka-charitra, as stated above, the name of his predecessor was Jinasimha and that of his successor Guņākara.The date of Mánatúnga is not stated directly in the Pattāvalis, but it may be inferred from that of his predecessor and that of his successor. Now according to the Tapā-gachchha-list Mānadeva lived something more than 300 years after Vikrama (Gurvāvali v. 37). Mānatunga, his successor, should, therefore, be placed about 300 A. D. The date of Mánatunga's successor Vira is not recorded, but in the Pattāvali of the Kharatara-gachchha it is stated that during his time the Siddhānta was reduced to writing by Devarddhigaņi Kshamās'ramana in 980 A. V. 454 A. D. By this reckoning Vira's predecessor Mānatunga must be placed in the first part of the 5th century of our era, say about 420 A.