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SUBSEQUENT MANTRIKAS SRI DHARMAGHOSASURI
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He was praised also by the minister Vastupala for his high poetic merit.* ŚRI DHARMAGHOŞASŪRI
Sri Dharmaghoṣasuri was a pupil of the famous Devendrasuri* of Tapagaccha and became the 46th pontiff. He was born at Ujjain of a merchant Jinabhadra about the end of the 13th century of the Vikram era. His name was Bhimasimha. His elder brother was named Viradhavala. As a result of Sri Devendrasūri's preachings, when Viradhavala was about to marry, he renounced the world and was initiated. in 1302 Vikrama era. Sometime thereafter his younger brother Bhimasimha was also initiated. The former was given the name of Vidyananda and the latter Dharmakirti. In 1323 the former was ordained Acharya and the latter Upadhyāya. Both Śrī Devendrasūri and Sri Vidyananda died in 1327 at an interval of 13 days and thereafter in 1328 Dharmakirti was ordained Acharya and named Sri Dharmaghoṣasūri. He was a great Mantrika and possessed prophetic powers of divining future. Minister Pṛthvīdhara alias Pethad, when in ordinary circumstonces approached him to take a vow not to retain in his possession or enjoyment properties aggregating in worth over one lac rupees. Śrī Dharmaghoṣasuri having known by his prophetic powers that he would attain great prosperity and become extremely wealthy in future asked him not to take such a vow. Ultimately Pethad became a great man and a minister of the King of Mandavagadha and acquired much wealth, a large portion of which he spent in building 84 temples and constructing seven Bhandāras or libraries for keeping manuscripts of Jain religious and secular literature. He also celebrated the entry of Sri Dharma
* 'बहुप्रबन्धकर्तुः श्रीबालचन्द्रस्य का स्तुतिः ।
मन्त्रीशवस्तुपालेन यः स्तुतः कवितागुणात् ॥' प्रद्युम्न सूरिकृत समरादित्यसंक्षेपात् ।
* He is famous as the author of five new Karmagranthas-works on Karma philosophy with commentaries, three Bhāṣyas, Vandāruvṛtti, Sādhusāmācārī, Śrāddhadinakṛtya with a commentary, commentary on Dharmaratna prakaraṇa, Sudarśanacarita, Siddhapancasika with a commentary, Siddhadaṇḍikā several hymns, Kulakas and a Sūrimantra Kalpa.
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