Book Title: Comparative and Critical Study of Mantrashastra
Author(s): Mohanlal Bhagwandas Jhaveri, K V Abhayankar
Publisher: Sarabhai Manilal Nawab
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INTRODUCTION
The most noteworthy feature of his life is his intimate friendship with king Ama and that is the reason why he was called Rājapūjita. He was also friendly with a king named Dharma of Gaudadesa whose capital was Lakşaņāvati. He was a contemporary of the famous poet Vākpatirāja. Sri Bappabhatti got temples constructed at Kanoj and Gwālior by king Ama. He defeated the Digambaras in a peculiar kind of debate which necessitated possession of great magical powers on the question of the right of precedence in worship at and the ownership of the Girinār Tirtha. It also appears that Sri Bappabhatti and his co-pupils used to reside in Jain temples. Bappabhatti and his pupils are said to have resided in a temple named Amavihära. He composed 52 literary Prabandhas one of them being Tárāgana reference to which is made by the Jain poet Dhanapāla in his work Tilakamanjari.
SRI SIDDHARŞI ŚRI VIRAGANI AND SRI SANTISURI
We have already mentioned that although Caityavāsis were in power they had not completely rooted out those who were still following strictly the rules of conduct laid down for Sadhus. Sri Siddharsi is an instance. He wrote his famous. Upamitibhava prapañcakathā in s. y. 962. He used to give religious discourses sitting in the Agramandapa of Jain temples. Although it was the practice in former times to give religious lectures in the Agramaņdapa of Jain temples and although there was nothing objectionable in it from the scriptural point of view, it being wrongly taken to be one of the activities of Caityavāsi Sā. dhus was stopped by the reformists. Similarly there were such Sadhus as Sri Viragaội who were ideals of renunciation and asceticism. He was a Māntrika all the same and learnt Angavidyā* together with Ganividyā from Vimalagani through his book kept in the niche in the dome of a temple. According to Sri Kalyanavijaya he must have flourished in the 11th century of Vikrama era and not in the 10th as stated in Sri Prabhāvakacaritra,
* According to Himvat Sthaviråvali Balissaha a pupil of Arya Mahāgiri extracted Angavidyā from the 10th Pūrva. See p.174 Vira Nirvāņa Samvat and Jain Käla Gañanā.
