Bhuvanabhanukevalicariya

Author(s): Indahansagani, Ramnikvijay Gani
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

Page 6

PREFACE
The L. D. Institute of Indology has great pleasure in offering to the world of Prakrit scholars the hitherto unpublished literary work entitled 'Bhuvanabhanukevalicariya' composed in V. S. 1554 by Indrahamsagan! belonging to Kutubapura branch of Tapagaccha. The work contains 2100 verses. Late Muni Shri Ramanikvijayaji, a colleague of Late Muni Shri Punyavijayaji, has edited the text on the basis of two mss., one belonging to the Pt. Kirtimuni Jñanakosa, Godhavi and the other belonging to Samvegi Upasraya, Ahmedabad. The latter bears the No. 2481. Both these mss. can well be assigned to the 17th century V.S.
The spiritual lineage of the author Indrahamsagani is as follows: Yugapradhana Somasundarasuri>Munisundarasuri who had brought peace by composing Santikara. stava Jayacandrasuri who had earned the title yama-karada'>Ratnasekharasari, the author of 'Vicarasara">Udayanandisüri alias Yogindra>Surasundarasüri>Lakṣmtsägarasari Somadevasuri>Ratnamandanasari>Indranandisüri>Dharmahamsagani > Vacaka Indrahamsa,1
Shri M, D. Desai in his Gujarati work 'Jaina Sahityano Samkṣipta luhasa' (Brief History of Jaina Literature pp. 757-58) informs us that Indrahamsagani composed Upadeiskalpavalli in V.S. 1555, Balinarendrakatha in V.S, 1557 and Vimalacaritra in V.S, 1578. But Balinarendrakatha is not extant, It might have been either the Sanskrit rendering of his Bhuvanabhäņukevalicariya or Bhuvanabbaṇuke valicariya itself called by the title Ballnarendrakatha. The authorship of Vimalacaritra is doubtful. Not a single ms. of this work is available at present, nor is it mentioned anywhere else. Upadesakalpavalli is a Sanskrit commentary on the Sajjhaya Manha jiņaņam anam...'To illustrate good acts of a Jaina lay disciple the stories are given in the commentary. It is noteworthy that the last story which is extensively told relates to Vimalamantri,
Bhuvanabhanu is neither a historical character nor a mythical character. It is a creation of pure imagination. The work relates the story of this character in his various births. It depicts the allegorical progress of Jiva. It abounds in personifications of abstract qualities. The author has considerably succeeded in clothing the abstract qualities with vivid personality.
It was Ac. Hemacandrasuri Maladhari (12th century A. D.) who for the first time composed Bhuvanabhanukevalicarita in Sanskrit prose. It occurs in bis Sanskrit commentary on Bhavabhavana which ne himself composed in 1123 A.D. This Bhuvanabhanukevalicarita by Ac. Hemacandrasuri evinces the influence of the Upamitibhavaprapan. cakatha, a wellknown Sanskrit allegory written by Ac. Siddharsi in 905 A, D.
1. Bhuvanabhapukevalicariyapraiasti pp. 149-50.