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 123

1
CVIII
PRAVACANASARA,
rtha-tattva-nis'cittiyage nirvartisidem.1 //2
4. Prabhācandra and his Sarojabhāskara
REMARKS ON PRABHACANDRA'S COMMENTARY.-A MS. of Pravacanasara containing the Sk. commentary of Prabhācandra is used for this edition, and the various readings are given at the end; it is possible that Prabhācandra might have written commentaries on the remaining two works also of Kundakunda. The name of his commentary is Saroja-bhaskara. As compared with that of Amrtacandra, there is no special profundity in Prabhacandra's commentary. His aim appears to be very modest; he gives a word-for-word explanation of the Prakrit text; and the extent of his exposition is shorter than that of Jayasena with whom he agrees here and there. The Prakrit text which Prabhacandra has before him appears to be somewhat different; but this point can be more definitely settled after consulting some more MSS., as the one used by me is defective. Of the gāthās which are additional in Jayasena's commentary, Prabhācandra does not include at all III, 17*1-2; and it is just possible that they were not present in the text before him. With regard to gatha II, 95*4 Prabhācandra remarks 'parināmam ti agame pratipaditam, subha-payaḍīnetyādi-gāthā-dvayam adeyam na bhavati, praksepakatvad iti upekṣyate/; it is not clear to what two gathas he refers, for in Jayasena's commentary we have only one gathā. It appears that Prabhācandra has somewhat different order of gathās here and there, especially in the III Book; but this might be due even to the defective character of MS. P; this change in the order does not materially affect the contents.
INFORMATION ABOUT PRABHACANDRA AND HIS DATE.-Prabhacandra gives no information about himself in his commentary on Pravacanasāra; so it is necessary to see whether we get any information about him from other sources. S'rutamuni, the author of Prakrit Bhāva-tribhangi, says in the pras'asti of that work that Balacandra was his anuvrata-guru, 'Abhayacandra Siddhanti his mahāvrata-guru and Abhayasuri and Prabhacandra were his s'astra-gurus. In the course of an eulogy of these different teachers he speaks about Balacandra that he was a saint skilled in Saratraya (viz., Pañcāstikāya-, Pravacana-, and Samaya-sāra), devoted to his pure self, free from attitude.
1 v. l. nirvarnısıdam.
2 I am thankful to Pt. Bahubali Sharma, Sangli, who kindly lent to me his MS. candra's commentaries. It is in old Kannada characters written on modern wa paper; it is copied by Bhujabali Anantappa Shastri of Haluugali in S'aka 1 =1902 A. D.).
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3 For the description of this MS. see page 42 at the end; Prabhacandra's comment opens thus:
Viram pravacanasaram nikhilārtham nirmalam janānandam | vaksye sukhāvabodham nirvana-padam pranamyaham ||
The concluding colophon runs thus: iti s'ri Prabhäcandradeva-viracite Pravacanasārasarojabhaskare etc.
4 About various Prabhäcandras and about this Prabhacandra see Pt. Jugalkishore's notes p. 63 of the Intro. to R. Sravakacāra, MDJG Vol. 24.
5 Introduction to MDJG vol. 20, p. 4 etc.
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