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INTRODUCTION
PRIORITY BETWEEN YOGAŠĀSTRA AND JÑANĀRNAVA
Pt. Nathuram Premi in his work Jain Sähitya Aura Itihasa' refers to the colophon contained in the manuscript (No. 13) of jñānārņava of the Bhandāra at Patan called Khetarvasi which is dated 1284 Vikrama era and was written for Digambara Sahasrakirti. It mentions the fact that a manuscript was got written for and given to Yogi Subhacandra by Jāhiņi. This is certainly the reference to the original manuscript from which the one for Sahasrakirti was written. Pt. Premiji thinks it curious that there is no mention of the fact that the work was composed by Subhacandra himself and is therefore inclined to believe that the author of jñānārņava must be some prior Subhacandra probably a grand-preceptor of the Subhacandra referred to in the colophon as in those times the name of an Achārya was many times given to his grand-pupil. Pt. Premiji infers from this that there must be an interval of about 25 to 30 years between Sahasrakirti's manuscript and Subhacandra's manuscript and an interval of about 30 to 40 years between Subhacandra and his supposed grand-preceptor Subhacandra who wrote Jñānārņava. Pt. Premiji would thus fix the date of jñānārnava to be about 1214 Vikrama era although through an apparent mistake of calculation (as ascertained from him by the writer) he mentions it to be the last quarter of the 12th century of Vikrama era.
The weak link in Pt. Premiji's argument, it would be apparent to the reader, is the supposition of another prior Subhacandra as the author of Jñānārņava. Pt. Premiji himself admits (p. 447) that the various qualifications * of Subhacandra mentioned in the colophon in all respects apply to the author of Jñānārņava. The truth therefore is that it really describes the author and the manu
'तया कर्मक्षयस्यार्थ ध्यानाध्ययनशालिने । तप:श्रुतनिधानाय तत्त्वज्ञाय महात्मने ।। रागादिरिपुमल्लाय शुभचन्द्राय योगिने । लिखाप्य पुस्तकं दत्तमिदं ज्ञानाणवाभिधम् ॥'
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