Comprehensive History Of Jainism

SR No.: 022803
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Aseem Kumar Chatterjee
Publisher: Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers Pvt Ltd
Publication Year: 2000
Total Pages: 360
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 28 MB

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A COMPREHENSIVE HISTORY OF JAINISM
him after he became a Jaina sādhu. The name Tattvāditya appears to be a title conferred upon him for his vast learning. His guru, according to the praśasti of the Caupannamahāpurīşacariyam, was Mánadeva.
The work runs to 10,800 ślokas and he has very skilfully utilized the earlier sources including the Agamas and the available Svetāmbara commentaries and other non-canonical texts including Vimala's Paumacaryam. Among 54 characters, only 19 have received extensive treatment. About 21 characters have been dismissed in only a few pages. Characters like Rsabha, Bharata, Santi, Sumati, Malli, Sagara, Neminātha, Pārsva, Baladeva, and Vardhamana have naturally been allotted much greater space. One interesting feature of the work is the drama Vibudhānanda 4 which has been inserted in the story of one of the former births of Rsabha. We are told that king Mahābala (fourth bhava of Rşabha) was led to vairāgya after this dramatic performance. It appears that Sīlānka got the idea of writing this play from a statement of Jinadāsa Mahattara,55 and it is constructed in all respects on the model of classical drama. However, the tragic end (i.e., the death of the hero) violates the rules of Sanskrit drama.
There is quite a lot of valuable cultural material scattered in this vast work. The writer refers to an old Jaina shrine at Anandapura (Vadnagar) of Gujarat, 56 and informs us elsewhere that the court of Sātavāhana was graced by over a hundred poets.57 That the official religion of Sri Lanka was Buddhism was known to śīlanka.58 He refers to the great prosperity of the Kāśī kingdom.59 On p. 38 he refers to the following texts: Padalipta's Tarangavatī, Bharata's Nātyaśāstra, Samudra's Puruşalakṣaṇaśāstra, Citraratha's Sangītaśāstra, Naggai's Citrakalāśāstra, Dhanvantari's Āyurvedaśāstra, Sālibhadra's Ašvaśāstra, Vihäna's Dyūtaśāstra, Bubbuha's Hastiśāstra, Angirasa's Yuddhaśāstra, Sabara's Indrajālaśāstra, Kātyāyana's Strīlaksanaśāstra, Senāpati's sakunaśāstra, Gajendra's Svapnalakṣaṇaśāstra, Nala's Pākaśāstra, and Vidyādhara's Patrachedyaśāstra. Šīlānka further refers to the worship of Kāmadeva who was propitiated by women desirous of good husband. Yakşa-worship was also popular and there is a vivid description of a Kāpālika.62 It has been argued that even Hemacandra was inspired by śīlanka's work when he wrote his famous Trişastišalākāpuruşacaritra.
Another well-known Svetāmbara work of the ninth century is Jayasimha's Dharmopadeśamālas written according to the testimony