Two Prakrit Versions of Manipati Charitra

SR No.: 007017
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: R Williams
Publisher: Royal Asiatic Society
Publication Year: 1959
Total Pages: 384
Language: English, Prakrit
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 9 MB

Page 23

THE MAŅIPATI-CARITA OF JAMBUNAGA
Jambu or Jambunāga, a sādhu of the Candra Gaccha highly reputed for his learning composed this work in Samvat 1005. He is also the author of a Jina-śatakal on which Sāmba-muni composed a commentary in 1025 and a Candradüta-kādya.?
The Manipati-caritra is said to have been published in the Hemacandra Grantha-mālā, Ahmedabad in Sam. 19783 but the only text available to the writer was a manuscript from the library of the Atmānanda Sabhā, Bhavnagar. The colophon runs:
Samāptam idam Manipati-rājarşi-caritam iti I. etan Manipati-rājñas caritam cāru-cetasaḥ • drstāntair aştabhir gadya-padyais tāvadbhir eva ca 2. Jambunāgâbhidhānena racitam Sveta-bhikṣuṇā bodhârtham bhavya-jantūnām spașțârtham sv-alpa-varņa
kam 3. na manda-buddhayor boddhum na vyākhyātum ca jānato
yato 'taḥ su-gamam dệbdham idam eva vibhāvyatām 4. pūrvācāryair vidȚbdhe Maņipati-carite saty apfdam mayā yat
bhūyo drbdham na tatra pravara-kavir aham bhavāmity esa • darpaḥ kimtu eteşām kavinām ati-vimala-dhiyām dhīra-gambhīra
vācām vaidagdhīm prāpsunāyam sva-mati-suvibhavâbhyāsa evam
vyadhāyi 5. idam kṛtvā mayā punyam aganya-sukha-kāraṇam
yad avāptam tena bhavyānām nirvșttir jāyatām tarām yāvat süryaḥ pratapati jagaj-jantu-karmaika-sākṣī yāvat cêndū rajani-vanitā bhūşaņo bhūri-dhāmā tāvad bhūyān mama křtir ayam supratişthā tanişthā prajñasyâpi pravara-viduşām saj-janānām prasādāt
As a further specimen of the author's style the following summary of the narrative is taken from the introductory verses :
1 A specimen of this work is given in Schubring : Jaina Handschriften der preussischen Staatsbibliothek No. 435. ° Ed. J. B. Chaudhuri, Calcutta, 1941. 8 Mudrita Jaina Svetămbarādi grantha nāmāvali, Ahmedabad 1926, p. 167.
IO