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

Previous | Next

Page 150
________________ 140 * The Svetāmbara texts contemporary to the Bhagavatī Ārādhanā are the Anuyogadvāra and the Niryuktis (Āvaśyaka, Pinda' and Oghao). These texts highlight the intellect of Cāņakya and some other details but Cāņakya's death is not mentioned. * We get the reference to Mahāpadma-nanda and his two ministers named Sakațāla and Vararuci in the 2070th verse of the Bhagavati Ārādhanā. The sucide of Sakațāla is treated there as a religious death. This information matches with the details given in the Kathāsaritsāgara. Commentators of the Bhagavatī Ārādhanā do not throw light on both the verses (No.1551 and No.2070) hence we get little information about Cāņakya. [2] The Mūlācāra of Vattakera is a Jaina Śaurasenī text written during the 3rd 4th century A.D. The Digambaras treat this text as an authentic guidebook of the monastic conduct. A stray reference to Kautilya occurs in the 257th gā. of the Mūlācāra in the following manner - कोडिल्लमासुरक्खा भारहरामायणादि जे धम्मा । होज्ज व तेसु विसुत्ती लोइयमूढो हवदि एसो ।। “The religion preached in the book of Kautilya, in the texts dedicated to the well being of a human (i.e. ayurveda) as well as the texts like (Mahā) Bhārata and Rāmāyaṇa is of course based on misconceptions (laukika-mūdha) and common people are misguided by these texts.” (Further on, disregard towards the vedas is shown in the next verse.) Comments : * Vattakera has cautioned the monks against the mithyā-śrutas (false scriptures of the heretics).

Loading...

Page Navigation
1 ... 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 257