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Some Salient Features of the Narratives in Kumārapālapratibodha
(A Research Paper presented in a National Seminar organized by the Dept. of Sankrit & Prakrit Languages (UOP) on 'Katha in Sanskrit and Prakrit Literature', during 17" 19" Feb.2012)
Introduction
There is absolutely no need to elaborate the richness of narrative literature in Prakrit, in this scholarly assembly. At least for 26 hundred years, the stream of Prakrit stories, narratives, fables, tales and analogies is continuously flowing. Attempts of subject-wise and form-wise classification are found in Prakrit literature itself. If we try to analyze it chronologically, we can classify the story literature likewise :
(i) Narratives in Ardhamāgadhi Canons like Jñātādharmakathā and Antagadadaśā. (i) Narratives in Ancient Commentarial literature like Niryukti, Cūrņi and Bhāsyas. (ii) Narratives in Skt. commentaries like Sukhabodhā, Āvaśyakatikā etc. (iv) Collection of narratives like Vasudevahindi, Mūlasuddhiprakarana etc. (v) Long narratives like Kuvalayamālā, Samarādityakathä etc. (vi) Didactic narratives like Upadeśapada, Dharmopadeśamālā etc. (vii) Secular narratives like Dhurtākhyāna, Līlāvati etc.
1. The Date, Place, Nature and Status of Kumārapalapratibodha
The author, Somaprabha, is a well-known Jaina learned man. He composed Kumārapālapratibodha in samvat 1241 (or A.D. 1195), i.e. only 11 years after the death of King Kumārapāla. The work KumaPra contains a general description of the teachings in the Jaina religion given from time to time by the Jaina preceptor Hemacandra to Kumārapāla, the illustrious Cālukya King of Gujrat and also of the manner in which, after getting these lessons, the King gradually got completely converted to Jainaism.
Besides KumāPra, three other works of Somaprabha are available. One of these is the
'Sumatinātha-caritra'. It describes the life of Sumatinātha, the 5" Tīrthankara of the Jaina Religion. Like Kumāra, it is also written mainly in the Prakrit language and like it, it also contains legends and stories explaining the tenets of Jainaism. His another Sanskrit work is 'Sūkti-muktāvali'. It consists of hundred verses of a miscellaneous nature. It is written after the style of Bharthari's "Nīti-sataka'. His third work is 'Satārtha-kāvya'. It gives full evidence of his unexcelled command over the Sanskrit language. Kumāra seems to be the last work of Somaprabha.
KumāPra is mainly written in Jaina Mahārāştri Prakrit. But a few stories in the last chapter are written in Sanskrit and some portions are in Apabhramsa language as well. From this it is evident that our author was equally proficient in these three languages. The composition of the work is very simple and the language is quite plain and unsophisticated.
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