Book Title: Chanakya Explored in Jaina Literature
Author(s): Nalini Joshi
Publisher: Firodaya Prakashan

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Page 136
________________ 126 his spiritual preceptor.” Thus Cāņakya and Candragupta both are the idols for the Jaina tradition. [40] The Parisişta-parva of Hemacandra (1088-1172 A.D.) is famous by the name - ‘Sthavirāvalīcaritram’. This treatise, written in Sanskrit holds a peculiar position among the legendary histories (viz. prabandhas) written by the Jaina authors. In 'Trişaşțisalākāpuruṣa-caritra’, Hemacandra has documented the history of the powerful or most aptly the “illustrious' Jaina personalities. In the present work, he has documented the biographies of the ‘sthaviras', viz. Jambūsvāmī, Prabhava, Sayyambhava, Yaśobhadra, Bhadrabāhu, Sthūlabhadra, Sambhūtavijaya, Ārya Mahāgiri, Ārya Suhasti, Vajrasvāmī and Arya Rakṣita in 13 cantoes (sargas). The Parisista-parva is closely connected with the political history of Magadha. While describing the biographies of Bhadrabāhu and Sthūlabhadra, Hemacandra takes into account the royal dynasties viz. the Nandas and Mauryas. Hemacandra has given a deep thought to all the available material whether oral or written about Cāņakya, the kingmaker. The Āvaśyaka-literature is his main source still he has not negelected the latter narrative and didactic literature. Cāņakya-carita, written by the Svetāmbara ācārya Hemacandra, is the first and authentic biography written in the classical Sanskrit. The actual Cāņakya-account starts from the 194th verse of the eighth canto and ends at the 469th verse of the same canto. The episode of Subandhu extends upto the 13th verse of the ninth canto, where the Cāņakya-story really ends. Comparative remarks on Hemacandra's Cāņakya-kathā : (1) The Golla region, Caņaka village, Caņī brahmin are the same like the Āvaśyaka-cūrņi. The name Caņeśvarī, Cāņakya's mother is

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