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JAIN MANTRAVADA AND CAITYAVASIS : SRI SURACARYA
207
Coming to the famous Acharya Vādivetāla Sri Säntisūri, we find that on his defeating 84 disputants in the Court of king Bhoja he got the said title of Vādivetāla and 84 lacs of Mālvi rupees equal to 12,60,000/- rupees of Gujarāt. He had obtained such miraculous powers by virtue of a boon from Sarasvati that he could make even inanimate objects carry on successful debates and could silence all opponents merely by raising his hand while debating. He spent all the moneys in getting Jain temples constructed. He is the author of the famous Bșhadśānti containing Mantras for peace and prosperity which is even now recited by Jains in their periodical expiatory rites namely Pratikramaņas. This shows that he was versed in magic. It is noted in his biography that once he cured through his Māntric powers, the son of a Jain merchant bitten by a serpent and given up as dead. * In his biography his place of residence is twice called Matha. One may, therefore, infer that there was laxity in observing the ideal rules of conduct for Sadhus, particularly in respect of residence, in the Gaccha to which he belonged. He died in 1096 Vikrama era.
ŚRI SORĀCARYA (Circa 11th century A. D.) We then come to Sri Sūrācārya who was the son of King Sangrāmasinha and bore the name of Mahīpāla as a house-holder. His paternal uncle was the famous Droņācārya. Mahīpāla's mother, having lost her husbard eurly during the childhood of Mahīpāla, entrusted him to Dronācārya who made him versed in all the branches of learning and initiated him as his chief pupil and gave him the name Sūrā. cārya. The said Dronācārya was the maternal uncle of king Bhimadeva of Pātan. Sūrācārya was a highly intelligent scholar well versed in logic and poetics but was rather proud and of angry temperament.
* From this fact we infer that he was rightly called Gandharva as the title used to be given in ancient times to one versed in curing persons bitten by serpents through magical powers. Sri Kalyana vijaya thinks that Gandharva Vådivetāla Säntisūri was a contemporary of Sri Devardhigani and assisted bim in Agamavácana, we should think, on insufficient evidence-See Vira-Nirvāņa Samvat and Jain Käla Gananā p. 118.
