Bruhat Katha kosha

Author(s): Harishen Acharya,
Publisher: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan

Page 64

INTRODUCTION
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illustrative stories, such as those which classify and characterise the pupils, are also found here. The next stratum of the early Digambara literature consists of the works of Kundakunda, Yativrşabha, Vattakera and Sivārya. Among the works attributed to Kundakunda, the Nirvāṇakında is a formula of recitation which enumerates many celebrities in the Jaina tradition with the places of liberation; and salutations are offered to them. It gives a good idea of the early capital of Jaina mythology and of the personalities held in reverence by the Jainas. The Bhāvapāhuda refers to certain personages who suffered on account of some blemish in their bhāva or spiritual temperament: Bahubali's spiritual progress was hindered by his vanity, even though he had no attachment for his body. On account of Nidāna, the saint Madhupinga could not be a monk, and the saint Vaśiştha suffered misery ( 44-46). Bāhu, though a Jaina monk, burnt the town of Dandaka due to internal hatred and fell into the Raurava-hell; so also Dipāyana, though a monk in appearance but devoid of real merits, wandered in infinite Samsāra (49-50). Sivakumāra, though encircled by young ladies, could put an end to Saṁsāra because of his heroic and pure mind. Bhavyasena could not be a Bhāvasramaņa (i. e., an ascetic with bhāva), even though he had learnt 12 Angas and 14 Pürvas, nay the whole of the scriptural knowledge;
Sivabhūti, whose bhāva was pure, attained omniscience by simply uttering tusa-māsa (51-3). Even the fish Sālisiktha, due to impurity of mind, fell into a great hell (86). To illustrate that mere knowledge devoid of Sila does not pave the path to higher worlds, the Silapāhuda quotes the instance of Surattaputta who, though knowing ten Purvas, went to hell (30). The Tiloyapaņņatti of Yativrşabha gives all the basic details that have constituted, in later works, the biographies of 63 Salākāpuruşas. Similar details are found in the Avasyaka-bhāşya etc. The Mülācāra of Vattakera records (II. 86-7) that Mahendradatta killed women like Kanakalata, Nagalatā, Vidyullata and Kundalată and also men like Sāgaraka, Vallabhaka, Kuladatta and Vardhamānaka on the same day in the town of Mithila. On this verse the commentator Vasunandi has not given any details of the story, but simply remarks: kathānikā cātra vyakhyeyā āgamopadesāt. Then to illustrate how alms were procured by certain monks through anger, vanity, deceit and greed, the text refers to some stories associated with the towns of Hatthikappa, Veņāyada, Vāņārasi and Rāsiyāņa. Vasunandi has not given any details, but merely remarks : atra kathā utpreksya vācyā iti. In the
1 Upadhye: Pravacanasāra (Bombay 1935), Intro., p. 33. 2 The Sanskrit Chāyā, supplied possibly by the editor, equates this name with
Satyakiputra. A portion of this was tentatively edited by me (Jaina Siddhānta Bhavana, Arrah 1941; first printed in the Jaina Siddhanta Bhāskara and then separately issued ). Now it is again being reedited by me and it is in the Press. The text is
accompanied by a Hindi translation. 4. Jitakalpabhāsya (Ahmedabad Sam. 1994) mentions an illustration of Khamaga
of Hatthikappa but more details are not given (gāthās 1395 eto.).