Bruhat Katha kosha

SR No.: 016060
Original Sutra Author: Harishen Acharya
Publisher: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan
Publication Year: 1943
Total Pages: 566
Language: Prakrit, Sanskrit
Classification: Dictionary & Dictionary
File Size: 16 MB

Page 92

INTRODUCTION
to illustrate the direct and indirect references in the Bha. Aradhanā of Sivärya. With the second gathā of it are connected the opening stories about Pätrakesarin, Akalanka, Sanatkumāra, Samantabhadra and Samjayanta. The stories on the eight limbs of Samyaktva are identical with those found in the Sk. commentary of Prabhācandra on the Ratnakarandaka. There is no doubt that all the stories are connected with the Bha. A., but somehow the text shows two clear divisions. After the goth story of Sakațāla, there are two verses (yair ārädhya etc. and sukomalaiḥ etc.) followed by a prose colophon which records that this Arădhanā-katha-prabandha was composed by Prabhācandra Pandita, a resident of Dhārā, in the reign or kingdom of Jayasiṁhadeva. Again the stories ( 32 in number) are continu the close we have the verse sukomalaiḥ etc. followed by a concluding remark that here ends the Kathakośa of Bhattāraka Prabhā candra. The supplementary nature of the second part certainly disturbs the order of references found in the gāthās of the Bha. A. There is no sufficient evidence to decide whether both the parts are composed by one and the same Prabhā his early and later parts of life or whether we are to distinguish between Prabhācandra Pandita and Bhattāraka Prabhācandra. To me the former alternative looks more probable. The style and presentation of contents are nearly alike in both the parts: the only difference that strikes one is that the second section mentions the gāthās more specifically. Some of his Sanskrit sentences introducing the stories have a metrical ring; and most of the Prākrit catch words are taken from the gathās of the Bha. A. The Ms. used by me is dated Saṁyat 1638. Further Nemidatta (beginning of the 16th century A. D.) also follows this very order in his Kathākośa with minor additions and omissions, and he leaves some indication about this division at the close of his story No. 82, especially in the verse No. 21. So it is quite likely that Prabhācandra himself is responsible for this two-fold division, and my explanation about it is like this. We have seen above how these stories were originally incorporated in the commentaries on the Bha. Aradhanā plenty of which were used by Āsādhara. It is a these commentaries, in Prākrit and Sanskrit, differed among themselves on the number, nature etc. of the illustrative stories to be associated with a particular gāthā. Prabhācandra might have first completed his Kośa with 90 stories following some commentary, but later when he came across another commentary, or even a Kathakośa, giving more tales, he added a
1 Māņikachandra D. Jaina Granthamāla, No. 24, Bombay Saṁvat 1982. 2 The simple style reminds me of the style of Prakrit stories given by Devendra and
others; and in all probability Prabhācandra is rendering into Sanskrit the Prākrit sentences. That alone will explain why his style is so elaborate in his
other words and so simple in this Kathākośa. 3 I am very thankful to Pt. Premiji who kindly sent this Ms. to me for my use.
According to my numbering of the stories, there are 90 stories in the first part and 32 in the second part. These thirty-two stories are numbered by me as 90*1, 90*2, etc.