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The Date of Siddharshi.
273
Bonn, 14th Novenmber 1906. Dear Sir,
I have received your very interesting letter of 17th last to gether with the Ms. of प्रमेयरत्नाकर and the लोकतत्त्वनिर्णय and I beg to express my sincere thanks for so much kindness. I have forwarded the said Ms to my pupil Dr. Suali of Bologna ( Italy ) who thanks you for your endeavours, and I have asked Dr. Belloni-Fiilippi of Buti Pisa ( Italy ) whether he stands in need of a Ms of qmara. I let you know his answer as soon as I get it.
I should first remark that the date of Haribhadra in the verse quoted by you is Vira 1055 ( 909aqangit), not 1005 This traditional date Vira 1055=Vikrama 585, which is given in a गाथा written at the end of the समरारुचकहा in one of the Mss I used for preparing the text of that work. It runs thus.
पञ्चसए पणसीए विक्कमकालाउ झत्ति अत्थमिओ ।
हरिभद्दसूरिसूरो निचरिओ (?) दिसउ सिवसोखं ॥ So it may be regarded as settled, that the traditional date of Haribhadra's death is Vira 1055 or Vikrama 585. Now the reason to doubt of the correctness of this tradition is firstly that we must then admit a dark period of 300 years which is an absolute blank in Jain history; and granted the existence of such a blank, we are justified to question the trustworthiness of a tradition carried on orally during those troubled times about events which had occurred before them. Secondly, if Haribl adıa lived just after the codification and final arrangement of the Siddhanta, it becomes hard to im. agine that in the short intervening time such a vast literature, commentaries and exegetical works on the canonical books &c. should have sprung up which we must suppose to account for the literary activity of Haribhadra. And I may add as a third reason that Siddharsi appears to be in close touch with Haribhadra. For he is not only a fervent admirer of him, but he also direct imitates many passages of the Antiget in
his उपमितिभवप्रपञ्चाकथा. This close relation between both eminent men would not be likely if they had been separated by nearly
