Ancient Jaina Hymns

Author(s): Charlotte Krause
Publisher: SCIndia Oriental Institute Ujain

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REMARKS ON THE TEXTS
seize the Sūri who dared compete with him. The Acarya, persecuted, took to flight, was however arrested, and kept in confinement, till the Jaina community purchased his freedom at the exorbitant ransom of 12,000 "tankā."
The Suri's influence can further be judged from the statement contained in the above mentioned "Laghuposālika-paṭṭāva!", that he ordained 500 persons as monks and nuns, and in Devavimala Gani's statement, contained in his, "Mahavira-patta-parampara", that 1800 monks obeyed his orders. Other sources relate that all his monks strictly followed the ancient ritual which he had revived in V. S. 1556. Besides, a glance on the Jaina literary history of his period reveals that many of the outstanding writers and poets of the latter were his pupils or grand-pupils. This fact has been duly stressed by Muni Caturavijaya, on the basis of the huge genealogical tree of this Sūri's retinue prepared by him.'
As his successor as head of the Tapa Gaccha, the Sūri had nominated Anandavimala, his pupil, on whom he had bestowed the title of Acarya in V. S. 1570. It seems however that later he changed his mind, and nominated, in his stead, another disciple, Saubhagyaharsa, in 1583. Yet when Hemavimala Sūri died in that very year, Anandavimala was generally accepted as the 56th pontiff, while from Saubhagyaharṣa, a new line branched off, known as the Laghu-Pausalika Gaccha.
That Hemavimala Suri, though not a habitual writer, was a scholar of profound erudition and a gifted poet, is obvious from the only Sanskrit creation from his hand that has been known so far, viz., his" Pārsva
(1) J. St. Sand., 11, Introduction, p. 113 ff. and table facing p. 122.
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