Buddhisagarsuri Linganusasan with Auto Commentary

Author(s): N M Kansara
Publisher: Z_Aspect_of_Jainology_Part_2_Pundit_Bechardas_Doshi_012016.pdf

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BUDDHISÁGARASŪRI'S LINGĀNUŚĀSANA WITH
AUTO-COMMENTARY
N. M. Kansara
Introduction
Buddhisāgara sūri, the disciple of Vardhamānasūri of Candra-gaccha, was contemporary and co-disciple of the famous Jineśvara sūri, the arch-patriarch of the future Kharatara-gaccha. He flourished in the first half of the eleventh century A. D. Jineśvara sūri mentions at the close of his Pramānalaksana that he and his co-disciple Buddhisāgara süri undertook to compose a work on nyāyalaklaņa (epistemology) and vyākaraṇa (grammar) respectively, with the express motive to meet the criticism that the Jainas wrote on work of their own on these twin subjects. Thus, Buddhisāgara sūri composed his Pañca-granthi-vyäkarana, also known after the name of the author as Buddhisāgara-vyakarana. Further, Jinesvara sūri declares that the vyakarana work in question was in verse and composed after consulting the work of Pånini, Candra, Jainendra, and Vibrānta, as also the Durga-ţikā. H. D. Velankar, in his Jina-ratna-koša, has noticed that this work has been alluded to in S. 1095/A.D. 1035 by Dhanesvara sūri (Candra-Kharatara gaccha) in his Surasundari-katha, in S. 1120/A. D. 1064 by Abhayadeva sūri (Candra-Kharatara gaccha) in his Pañcāśaka-uftti, in S. 1125/A.D. 1069 by Jinacandra sūri (Kharatara gaccha) in his Samvegarangaśālā, in S. 1139/A.D. 1083 by Guņacandra sūri (Candra-Kharatara gaccha) in his Mahavira-carita and next by Jinadatta sūri (Kharatara gaccha) in his Ganadhara-sārdha-śataka. It is likewise noticed by Padmaprabha in his Kunthunātha-carita and lastly in S. 1334/A.D. 1278 by Prabhācandrācārya in his Prabhāvaka-carita. (The manuscripts of these works have been listed in the catalogues of the Jaina Bhandars at Jesalmer, Baroda, Ahmedabad and Patan. Some of these are also available in print.)
The Pañca-granthi-vyäkarana enjoys a unique place in the history of Sanskrit grammar in that it is the first work of its kind composed in metrical style, accompanied by an auto-commentary, and that it is prior in date to the famous Siddha-Hema-Sabdānušāsana of Hemacandra. Jinesvara sūri has noted that the extent of the work was about seven thousand flokas, and that it was completed in S. 1080/ A.D. 1024 at Jābālipura (Jālor) in Rājasthān. Possibly the title “Pañca-granthivyakarana" is given the work to suggest that the author has covered in it all the topics connected with samjñā, dhātu, gama, uņādi and lingānušāsana.
The Lingānušāsana of Buddhisāgara sūri, which is here edited for the first time, is not an independent work like that of Vămana or of Durgasimha. It is incorporated in the Pañcagranthi-vyākarana, in the initial 38 gāthas of the second