Comprehensive History of Jainism Volume II

Author(s): Aseem Kumar Chaterjee
Publisher: Firma KLM Pvt Ltd

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COMPREHENSIVE HISTORY OB JAINISM
of Lāțadesa in a Jain work, written in Vikrama Samvat 1179, during the reign of Jayasimha.84 Yet another influential administrator of this time, who took a keen interest in the activities of the Jain church, was Āśuka. 86 We have already seen that he was present during that famous debate between Kumudacandra and Devasūri. He is mentioned in the colophon of a copy of the Uttaradhya yana made in V. S. 1179 as a mahāmatya of Jayasimha. 88 With his advice and assent, Jayasimha visited Satruñjaya and gave a grant to the temple of Adinātha.87
Siddharāja, therefore, according to the above discussion, was a true friend of the Jains and had a great number of ministers, who were the followers of this religion. However, his greatest and most intimate companion, in the later days, was the great Hemacandra, who was popularly known as Kalikalasarvajña 'omniscient of the Kali Age'. Regarding the date of Hemacandra's first meeting with Siddharāja, there is some confusion. According to Merutunga 8, the first meeting between the two remarkable men took place after Jayasimha's conquest of Mālava 8o in Vikrama Samvat 1192. As Bühler has noted, the verse with which according to Merutunga, Hemacandra first greeted Jayasimha, during their first meeting, is actually found in the 24th pada of Hemacandra's grammar. It is, however a fact, and as we have already noted, Hemacandra was present in Jayasimba's court during the debate between -Kumudacandra and Devasūri in the Vikrama year 1181. But it is quite probable that Hemacandra was then not officially introduced to Jayasimba. The account of Hemacandra's first meeting with the king, as narrated in the Prabhāvakaarita91 of Prabhācandra and Kumārapālacaritao? of Jinamanqana (V.S. 1492) appears to be somewhat fanciful and Bühler too, doubts the veracity of their statements, In any case, it appears, that it is only in the later period of his reign that Jayasimha came to be aequainted with Hemacandra.