Akhyanakmanikosha

Author(s): Nemichandrasuri, Punyavijay, Dalsukh Malvania, Vasudev S Agarwal
Publisher: Prakrit Text Society Ahmedabad

Page 63

Style etc. of AMKV.
In this world, even one's own kith and kin turn into enemies, then why should there be any attachment ? Chp. 39 illustrates this with reference to Suryakantā, the queen of king Predesi of Kekaya country ruling from Svetavikā (Seyaviyā ), Culaņi, the wife of a brāhmaṇa from the city of Kampilla (Kämpilya) in the Panchäla-janapada, Koņika (King Ajätasatru ) who put his father Sreņika into prison, Sankha, husband of Kalāvati, Bharata the son of Rşabhadeva, and king Kanakaketu of Teyalipura,
Chp. 40 deals with futility of attachment to wealth etc., when all these are evanescent. Crying over the dead etc., is a mere social display, a tradition only, which really is of no avail. Stories of Sāvitri, a brāhmana lady, a minister of some king, the mother of Arahannaka, Baladeya and a prince named Kulānanda are given. The wise do not mourn over the dead as is shown from the story of a farmer in whose family all the members showed this virtue on the death of the son.
The last adhikära shows that those who are wise, patient, discriminating and strong in virtue, bear all miseries and remain unpurturbed as was done by the Jina Parsvanātha and Tirtharkara Mahävira wbo patiently bore all pasargas (calamities, disturbances, miseries) during their meditations and wanderings. Examples of saints Gajasukumāra* and Metārya, and Sanatkumāra Cakravarti are also given.
In giving the above summary we have cited only a few references to sources of some of these stories from Jaina Canonical literature and to other versions of such stories. Works like KRK., KKP., Dh. V., Sanghacara-Vștti on Devendra's Devavandana-bhāşya, Kabāvali of Bhadreśvara give a number of stories which can be compared with the same Kathas in the AMKV. It would be interesting if a comparative study of some individual Kathas from Jaina literature is undertaken. Especially useful for all such studies is the whole of Bhäşya-Cūrņi literature from which the later writers have drawn extensively,
Our text, the ākhyānakamaņikośa is of only 53 verses but the Vivarana of Amradeva on the same is a literary composition of a superior order and runs into about 14000 granthas. Though mainly in verse, it has a few short prose passages and though the major part of it is composed in Prakrit, it contains a few accounts in Sanskrit and some in Apabhramsa. Especially noteworthy is the story of Kulānanda (pp. 347–348 ) wherein each half verse is in Sanskrit while its latter half is in Prakrit.
The AMKV. is written in a charming lucid style and a good many passages can pass as beautiful subhasitas as will be seen from such passages collected in Appendix 7, pp. 401 ff. Amradevasūri is a well-read scholar and a poet and has also quoted from earlier texts mostly without referring to the name of the work or its author. The learned editor, Muni Sri Punyavijayaji, has traced some of these passages and a reference to pp. 2-3 of the AMKV. will show that the author has quoted from Slokavārtika. Upadeśapada, Nandisutra etc. In certain accounts, Amradevasüri has suggested that more details may be obtained from Harivamśa' (see, pp. 71, 80, 321). It is not unlikely that he refers to a Svetāmbara Jaina text of this name rather than making a general reference to texts refering to great men and women born in the Hariyamsa. Besides Harivamsa, Viracarita, Uttaradhyayana and Bhagavatisütras and works like Nayacakra are referred to. Amradeva also refers to Niśitha, Avasyaka-vivarana and Ratnacūdā. The last may be the Ratnacūdacarita composed by Nemicandra, author of AMK. That Amradevasûri was an erudite scholar is further inferred from his selection of choice words, passages, and from
1. Cf. also the story in UTR., pp. 285 ff. 2. Cf. UTR., 351 ff; Av. Co., II. pp. 166 ff. Aupapātika sū., 6. Also see J. C. Jaina, Life in ancient India, pp. 390-391. 3. Cf. the story of Teyaliputta in the Nāyādhammakahão, 1.14, also see, UTR., pp. 329 ff. 4. Story of Gajasukumāra occurs in the Anuttaraupapātikadašā-sútra. Also see UTR., pp. 228 ff. The story of this
saint is found in Avaśyaka literature. 5. For Metärya, see UTR., 267 ff: Supäsanähacarita, 409. He is known to Av. Nir., Ců., Tikäs etc. See also Abhi.
Rāj. VI. PP. 378-379.