________________
Ancient Jaina Hymns
401
predestined to reach final salvation after a long activity as a Tirtharikara, in a far remote future, viz., at the time when Udaya, the 7th Jina of the coming Utsarpiņi of Bharata-kşetra, will have entered Nirvāņa. The poet expresses his fervent desire that in his next incarnation, he may be reborn himself in Mahāvideha, sit at the feet of the Lord Sīmandhara, and be allowed to listen to his sermons to bow to him, to sing his praise, and perhaps even to become a monk in the Lord's retinue, and attain omniscience and subsequent salvation in a very near future ( st. 14f).
To the reader who tries to define the language of the hymn, a number of conspicuously archaic-looking Prāksta forms231 obtrude themselves at the first glance, such as e.g., namira, vimda, vaṁdiya, payam, kitti, lakkhaņa, vihamdaņo, sattame, Jiņa, jhāna, dhaņuha, jamma, micchatta, harisa, daṁsaņa, rajja, māhappa, khittammi, hiņassa, dīņassa, kuņai, phiriūņa, tiriyattane. Forms like nihi, mahura, savvahā, bohamkaro, would brand it as “Jaina-Prāksta'.
Other forms, however, are developed beyond the Prāksta stage, showing clear characteristics of Gurjara Apabhramsa.232 Such forms are : nouns of the a-declension with -au in the Nominative singular masculine, as divasau, lagau, jugau, phaliyau, miliyau; with -aha in the General singular as bijaha; with -i in the Locative singular, as sārī, sihari, gayaņi, vasī; nouns of the i- and u- declensions with -i and -u in the Nominative singular masculine, as sāmi, taru, guru; nouns of the ā- and i- declensions with -a, -7, and -i in the Acc. singular, as karuņā, vāņi, siri; pronominal forms like haum, mūm, and mū in the First Person singular, and tushaji in the Second Person singular ( with suffix of emphasis ); verbal forms like vīņavauń, namaum, lagauṁ, in the First Person singular Ind. Pres.; thuộaha do. in pl., rāși, kari, tāri in the Second Person singular Imperative; nisuņiso, paņamiso, gāyaso, påmiso, in the First Person singular Future; hoisii in the Third Person singular Future; Absolutiva like older karavi, pariharavi, and more recent jodi, kari, suņi; as well as numerous endingless case forms like hīņa, nayara, jasa, vayaņa, năma, rüva, poa 233
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
