Pravachansara

SR No.: 010843
Original Sutra Author: Kundkundacharya
Author: A N Upadhye
Publisher: Manilal Revashankar Zaveri Sheth
Publication Year: 1935
Total Pages: 595
Language: Hindi
Classification: Book_Devnagari
File Size: 48 MB

Page 121

PRAVACANASĀRA.
departed Nayakīrti; and in that inscription Balacandradeva is mentioned.1 In 1231 A. D. Gommatasetti, a servant of Hoysala S'ri Vira Narasimhadeva and a disciple of Adhyatmi Balacandra (the pupil of Nayakīrti), made a grant of land for the worship of Gommaţadeva.2 Boppana Pandita, known as Sujanottamsa, wrote a beautiful Kannada prayer of Gommaţadeva; it is incorporated in an inscription at Belgola; and it was inscribed by direction of Balacandra. These facts indicate that the place of Balacandra's activity was round about Belgola.
CVI
DATE OF BALACANDRA.-That Balacandra served Sagaranandi (possibly one of the pupils of Nayakīrti) for spiritual realization, that he is mentioned after Damanandi and Bhanukirti and that he lived upto at least 1231 A. D. go to show that Balacandra must have been comparatively young when Nayakirti died. So roughly the life of Balacandra can be circumscribed by the dates, 1176 and 1231 A. D. As he refers to his cultivation of selfrealization, I am tempted to say that he might have written his commentaries at the close of his life. So the date of his commentaries might lie at the beginning of the 13th century A. D. to take the earliest period. Besides his commentaries on Kundakunda's works, he has written Kannaḍa commentaries on Paramātma-prakās'a and T.-sutra, and has also composed some hymns of prayer.1
COMMENTARIES OF JAYASENA AND BALACANDRA COMPARED.Comparison of Balacandra's commentaries with those of Jayasena is a question by itself, and it cannot be dealt with in a limited space at my disposal; so I shall confine myself only to their commentaries on Pravacanasāra. This comparison will reveal so many points of similarity: Tatparyavṛtti is the name of both the commentaries; it is the longer recension that is accepted; the introductory remarks of many gāthās and the verbal explanations are often the same word for word; and lastly there is a close agreement even in longer passages as seen from the opening passage given below from the Kannada tīkā : sva-samvitti-samutpanna-paramānamdaika-lakṣaṇa-sukhāmṛta-viparīta
caturgati-samsara-duḥkha-bhaya-bhitanum samutpanna-parama-bheda-vijñāna
prakās'atis'ayanum nirākṛta-samasta-durnayaikānta-duragrahanum ásannabhavyanum appa Sivakumāra-mahārājam parityakta-s'atru-mitrādi-pakṣar ̄| tādinātyanta-madhyasthanägi sakala-puruṣārtha-särabhuteyum atyantātma-ı yam avinas'vareyum bhagavat pamca-parameṣthi-prasādotpanneyumappa lti-s'riyanupadeyam madi gauna-mukhya-rupa-bahistattväntas tattvapana-Pravacanasaradadiyolu s'atendra-vandya-s'ri Vardhamānia-svāmi-t kara-parama-deva-pramukha-pamca-paramesthigalam dravya-bhāva-na. ` radim bandisi parama-caritramanas'raysuvenemdu pūnkeyam māḍidapan / sūtrāvatāram // pamca-kulakam // esa surasura etc. Many similar passages
#
1-2 E. C. II, 355, 186.
3 Ibidem 234.
4 Karicarile 1, p. 253.
5 The common words between Jayasena and Balacandra are put in italics, while the Kannada terminations and words, which are the only items of difference, are not italicised.
12