Ancient Jaina Hymns

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

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REMARKS ON THE TEXTS
re both need not be reiterated here. For the present: purpose, it will be sufficient to know that he was born in: V. S. 1694, ordained by his Guru Dhiravimala Gani in! 1702 under adoption of the monk's name of "Nayavimala”, invested with the title of “Acārya" under adoption of the name of "Jīlānavimala Sūri" in 1748 or(1749) - by orders of the head of the Gaccha, and died in 1782 at the ripe age of 89 years. He was a prolific writer, His creations comprise a number of Rāsas, Stutis, Stavanas, Sajjhāyas, and Bālāvabodhas in Gujarati, while his Sanskrit works are commentaries on texts like the Prašnavyākarana-sūtra and the Dāvānala-stuti, as well as an orginal "Sripāla-caritra" in prose, and a "Prasna-dvātrimsikā-stotra.
The "Saikhesvara-Pārsvanātha-stavana", published here for the first time, thus brings the number of his Sanskrit hymns up to two. The fact that this hymn opens with the word "aindra”, naturally makes the reader think of Yasovijaya,' the famous author and reformer, senior to our poct by a few decades, who had such a predilection for this word that he began many ci nis Sanskrit works with it. For, according to his own testimonial, it was by repeating the first syllable, of this word, "aim”, the “mantra-bīja" of Sarasvatī, that this goddess bestowed her favour on him, on the bank of the Ganges, during his 12 years' stay at Benares as a student. The mystic meaning of the whole word "aindra”, which, in Tantra-castra, is an equivalent of "mati”, "buddhi”,9 may also partially be responsible for Yasovijaya's predilection for the same. One could therefore think of Yasovijaya as the
(1) He was ordain:d in 1689 and died in 1743 (J. G. K., II, p. 20 fi). (2) Vide J. St. Sand., I, Introduction, p. : 4. (3) Vide "Tanträbhidana", ed. A. Avalon, p.o.
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