________________ 15. Introduction From this internal evidence, we also come to know that he had & pupil named Hemachandra. This much is the important information that we get from our text. There are many other external sources also from which we got some more useful and more definite information. In his work गुरुगुणषट्त्रिंशिकावृत्ति, * our author Ratnas'ekharasuri gives his granfeat as under:" श्रीमद् बृहद्गच्छपयोजहंसः। . समस्तवादीन्द्रशिरोवतंसः / प्रज्ञापराभूत सुरेन्द्रसूरि / जर्जीयाज्जगत्यां गुरुदेवसूरिः // 1 // तद्गच्छे स्वच्छमनाः समजनि जयशेखरो गुरुःश्रीमान् / तत्पट्टगगनभानुः सूरिः श्रीवज्रसेनाह्वः // 2 // तत्पट्टनायकाः श्रीहेमतिलकसूरयस्तदादेशात् / श्रीरत्नशेखराख्यः, शिष्यो लिखति स्म विवृतिमिमाम् // 3 // Here the मूलपुरुष-देवसूरि i.e. वादिदेवसूरि is mentioned, and the Gachchha is stated to be the बृहद्गच्छ. As for the Brhad Gachchha some explanation is necessary. It is a Sakha or branch of the Mala Tapagachchha and takes its origin from the famous Vadi Dovasuri who defeated * His works are discussed on P. 23. of the introduction.
