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268 . Shri Jain Conference Herald. him at length. The commentary of the 19134 is begun in these terms.
इह हि विस्फुरनिखिलातिशय तेजोधामनि दुःषमकाल विपुलजलदपटलावलुप्यमानमहिमनि नितरामनुपलक्षीभूत पूर्वगतादि बहुतमग्रंथसार्थतारकानिकरे पारगत गदितागमांबरे. पटुतमबोधलोचनतया सुगृहीतनामधेयो भगवान् श्री हरिभद्रसूरिस्तथाविध पुरुषार्थसिद्धयर्थिनामपटुदृष्टिनामुन्नमितजिज्ञासा बुद्धिकंधराणामदयुगीनमानवानामात्मनोपलक्ष्यमाणान् विवक्षितार्थसाधनसमर्थान् कतिपय प्रवचनार्थतारतारकविशेषानुपदिदर्शयिषु........गाथामाह. __These words are very important. The words अनुपलक्षाभूतं पूर्वगतादि &c. as contrasted with कतिपयप्रवचनार्थ तारतारकविशेषान् put bim exactly at the period when the knowledge of the Poorvas was becoming extinct and some glimpses were yet lurking. This puts him clearly at the period I put him in. Further on the words आत्मनोपलक्ष्यमाणान् (revealed to one's self ) are selfexplanatory. They show the antiquity and authenticity of the author. The book, the commentator says, has been spe. cially adapted to the men of this generation or age which fact also shows a great gulf between the two authors.
At the end of the said commeatory Abhay dev soori signi. ficantly remarks. सितपटपटल प्रधान प्रावचनिक पुरुष प्रवरचतुर्दशशतसंख्यप्रकरणप्रबंध प्रणायी &c. This solves a mystery or looking at it from another aspect confirms a mystery. (1) Haribhadra composed 1400 works-to this effect there is a tradition. (2) Abhayadeva Soori confirms this tradition. (3). It can never be supposed that so many books were extant in the time of Abhayadeva and have been lost since his date. (4) so many books cannot be supposed to have been lost within a period of one hundred years or so-the supposed interval between the dates of the two authors. (5) Abhayadeva Soori who is very fond of quo. ting from old sources only quotes from four or five works of Shri Haribhadra. I do not think this can be explained on any other theory; at least I am unable to account for these words on any other explanation. In short he has given expression to the then current traditioa about the composition
