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INTRODUCTION
published as appendix No. 30 in the present work. It is stated to be by Sri Bhadraguptácārya. But this Bhadraguptācārya cannot be the preceptor of Sri Vajraswāmi as in the body of the work, it is stated in the eighth verse of the first chapter that Vajraswami culled out from the third Prābhịta (chapter) of Vidyāpravāda Pūrva (i. e. the 10th Pūrva so called) the Mantra mentioned therein. It can be ordinarily explained only on the supposition that the author of the work was later than Vajraswāmi. It does not however definitely exclude the possibility of Vajraswami's preceptor having written this work as he appears to have lived for several years after teaching the ten Pūrvas to Sri Vajraswami. The author has in two places referred to Paramāgama or the great Agama and Agamamahāmbhodhi or the great ocean of Agama (See Ch. III verse 30 and Ch. IV verse 19): and he states that he has himself culled out the Vidyās mentioned in Ch. 1V from Agamamahāmbhodhi. That the reference is to some Jain Agama or canonical work is certain because the Vidyas mentioned are not known amongst non-Jains. One thing in Ch. V which pointedly draws our attention is that over and above gift of food, clothes and bowls gift of best gold is recommended to be made to the preceptor. This is a piece of evidence of Caityavāsi influence in very early times.
The reference to Setubandha in Ch. IV, V. 30 leads us to infer the date of the work to be subsequent to the composition of Setubandha mahā-kavya i. e. 123 A. D. or (according to Cunningham) 432 A. D. (See discussion about the date of Setubandha in the footnote on P. 127 of Kavyamālā Vol. I and Indian Antiquary Vol. XII p. 243). Further the verse containing the said reference reminds us of a similar comparison by the poet Bāņa at the commencement of Harsacarita and in that case we must take the work to be not earlier than the 7th century A.D. It is possible however that the verse may have been interpolated by a later writer as it is not strictly required to be there by the context.
We shall consider this work in its other aspects further on and also show how the famous Hemacandrācārya has drawn upon it while
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