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Some observations on Vardhamana's Cāṇakya-kathā :
Probably this is the largest prose narrative written in JainaMāhārāṣṭrī.
An attempt has been made by Vardhamana to depict the whole continuous biography without topic-wise division like - pāriņāmikibuddhi, rareness of human birth, gathering of wealth for the royal treasury, ājñābhanga etc. In his story, every episode seems to be the natural culmination of the previous one and the springwell of the next one.
Although the brāhmaṇatva of Caṇakya is clear, every possible occasion is exploited to hammer the śrāvakatva of Cāṇakya, from start to end. Especially the nine verses put in the mouth of Cāṇakya after the acceptance of inginī-maraṇa, throw light on the well-versedness of Caṇakya in the Jaina religion. In the last verse it is noted that due to the pandita-marana, Cāṇakya was reborn in the heaven.
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* In this context, it is quite surprising that Vardhamāna has omitted the incidents of (i) praising the heretics and (ii) the account of famine and two disciples of Sussthitācārya. Probably he has not gone through the Niśītha-cūrṇi. Vardhamāna repeates the verse कोशेन भृत्यैश्च --- from the āvaśyaka-cūrni. ‘तुल्यार्थं तुल्यसामर्थ्यं --- is the verse, which is quoted by Vardhamāna as well as by Devendra in the Sukhabodhātīkā. Both the works are contemporary.
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In the present narrative, Cāṇakya addresses Candragupta: 3 ! वृषल ! स्वतन्त्र इव लक्ष्यसे, नेदं कर्तव्यं'. This sentence reminds us of the drama Mudrārākṣasa of Viśākhadatta. The vocative frequently used for Candragupta by Caṇakya is 'vṛṣala'. It seems that Vardhamana is acquainted with the Mudrārākṣasa. The Avaśyaka
