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PADMASUNDARA'S JŇĀNACANDRODĄYANĀTAKA
Ed. Nagin J. Shah
The present edition of the Jñandcandrodayanataka, the work hitherto unpublished, is prepared on the basis of the paper is. belonging to the Sāgaragaccha Jaina Bhandara preserved in the Hemacandrscārya Jñanamandir, Patan. The ms. bears the No. 7382. Its size is 30 cms x 12 cms.
It consists of 24 folios. Each folio has 12 lines.per side and 45 letters per line. The script is good. There is no colophon at the end. But there occurs the name of the scribe at the end. His name was Megha. (Meghalikhitar.) The ins. is copied in c. 1700 V. S. It is in good condition.
The work is entitled jñānarandroda yanāțaka. But in the last verse the author calls it vyayoga. It is divided into Five Acts (Ankas). We find remarks 'pravišati' and 'niskränta' to mark the beginning or end of a particular topic. Though the author suggests that Bandha (Bondage) etc, are characters, he has not personified them. There is no dialogue. So, this work is not a draina. It is simply a work on Jaina philosophy exclusively written in Sanskrit verses. It consists of 398. verses. The author has employe 1 various metres.
The author of the present work is Padmasundara. In the last verse occurring at the end of the work the author tells us that Padmasundara, a pupil of Padmameru who again is a pupil of Anandameru, has composed Jñānacandrodaya Vyāyoga. Harsakirti who flourished in this line after Padmasundara informs us that Padmasundara was honoured by Emperor Akbar just as Anandārya (=Anandameru) had been honoured by Emperors Babar an! Hunayu. In his D'aiurrargini Harsakirti further tells us that Padmasundara was honoured by Miladeva of Jodhpur and that he defeated a Pandit at the court of Emperor Akbar. When in 1582 A.D. Hiravijayasuri visited Akbar's court Padmasundara was no more and his books Iving with Prince Salim were handed over to Hiravijayasuri who established a Bhandāra with them at Agra. It is beyond doubt that Padmasundara was a great scholar. He wrote Akabaraśnhśrågaradarpana! (a work on Kāyyajāstra), Hayanasundara (a work on Astrology), Pramanasundara2 (a work on Logic), Sun lar zprakasasab darnavu (a Lexicon), Yadusundara n shakāvya, Parsvana hamahakarva and Rāyamallabhjuda yamahakarya.
1 Published in Ganga Oriental Series, Bikaner. 2 Included in Jaina Philosophical Tracts published in L. D. Series, No. 41,