Pravachanasara

SR No.: 003289
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: A N Upadhye
Publisher: Shrimad Rajchandra Ashram
Publication Year: 1964
Total Pages: 612
Language: Hindi, Sanskrit
Classification: Book_Devnagari
File Size: 16 MB

Page 130

Introduction
2. Jayasena and his Tätparya-vetti
JAYASENA AND HIS COMMENTARIES.-Sufficient information about Jayasena, the commentator of Kundakunda's works, is not available. There are eight verses found at the end of his commentary on Pravacanasara; but the authorship of these verses, because of certain syntactical difficulties, is a matter of uncertainty. They might have been composed even by a pupil of Jayasena. These verses indicate that Kumaranandi was the teacher of Jayasena who belonged to Mulasañgha, of which two previous saints mentioned are Virasena and Somasena. I hesitate to attach much importance to these details by themselves. Besides his commentaries on the three works of Kundakunda, no other work of Jayasena is discovered as yet. Of his three commentaries, the one on Pañcastikaya is written first as it is referred to by himself in his two other commentaries.3 As to the relative chronology of the [p. 102:] remaining two commentaries, there is no definite evidence; from the scarcity or frequency of quotations, from the shortening of details and from the presence of a few Prakrit verses, at the close of Samayasara-ika, glorifying Paümanardi, I think that the commentary on Samayasara comes last.
THIS JAYASENA DISTINGUISHED FROM OTHERS OF THE SAME NAME.-This Jayasena will have to be distinguished from other Jayasenas known from epigraphic and literary references. One Jayasena, the teacher of Dharmaghosa, is mentioned in Mathura inscription of the first century A.D., which is too early a date for our author. Secondly, Jinasena, the author of Mahapuraṇa (c. 838 A.D.) mentions one Jayasena as his guru;5 but our commentator is different from him as he quotes from Dravyasamgraha to which he refers by name, as he quotes from Acarasara of Viranandi and as he quotes from and mentions the name of Caritrasara of Camundarāja; and all these works are later than Jinasena. Thirdly, the author of a Pratistha-patha is Jayasena alias Vasubindu who calls himself as the agra-sisya of Kundakunda; he cannot be identical with our commentator, because he never says that he is the chief disciple of Kundakunda; he does not give his another name Vasubindu; and because the language of Pratisthāpāṭha in general is inferior to that of our commentaries. Fourthly, Jayasena from whose Dharmaratnakara excerpts are given by Peterson is also different from this commentator.
1 In some MSS. they are put at the end of the commentary of Pañcästikäya, see the footnotes on Mallisena's commentary.
2 There appears to be much confusion about the so called commentaries of Jayasena. The MS. from Belgaum described later on is the same as that of Jayasena's commentary; his name is not at all mentioned, but there is the name of (Ma)llisena at the end of Pravacanasūra-tikā. According to Peterson's extracts (Reports IV, p. 153) there is a commentary of Brahmadevaji on Pañcastikäya, but comparing the extracts given by Peterson, I find that it verbally agrees with that of Jayasena which is printed in RJS. This confusion can be cleared only after getting more MSS. of Jayasena's Tikā; I regret, I detected this point too late to shed any further light.
3 See Pravacanasara pp. 121, 162 & 187; Samayasara p. 116.
4 E.I., II, p. 199.
5 See the Introductory verses of Mahapurana No. 58.
6 Peterson: Reports IV, p. 152.
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