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TAB SVETĀMBARA LITERATURE
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nal Rāmāyaṇa of Vālmīki. Although a Jain, the author represents Vfradhavala as entering the Śiva temple of Dhayalakka and obtaining boon from that god, in the concluding part of the play.
Another writer, who came into contact with Vastupāla, was Mānikyacandra of the Rāja gaccha, and a pupil of Sāgaracandrasūri, who was a disciple of Nemicandra. He is the reputed commentator of the Kavyaprakāśa of Mammața (C. 1110 A.D.). According to Sandesara178, his Sanketa was composed, in all probability, in V.S. 1266, and not V.S. 1216, as generally supposed177. Since Mānikyacandra was definitely a contemporary of Vastupāla, there cannot be any doubt regarding the date, proposed by him. The Pārsvanāthacaritra178 of Mānikyacandra was composed in V,S. 1272. He also wrote a work on Santinātha and both these works were jaspired by the TŚC of Hemacandra.
Several authors, mentioned above, also wrote Prašastis on Vastupāla. We can mention the Prašastis, written by Udayaprabha, Naracandra, Narendraprabha, Jayasimha and
$ 179 These Prašastis are also important from the historical point of view, and there is a broad agreement among these poets regarding the achievements of Vastupāla, who was not only a great Jain, but also, at the same time, a person of great catholicity.
Vastupāla himself also was a good poet. We have his Naranarayaņānanda1 80, a mahakāvya in sixteen cantos. It is an undated work, but was probably composed after 1221 A.D., the date of his first pilgrimage to Girnar and Palitana. This Mahākāvya of Vastupāla, as the name suggests, is based on the Mahabharata, and it describes mainly the friendship of Nara (Arjuna) and Nārāyana (Vasudeva Kșshqa) and also the romantic love-affair of Arjuna and Subhadrā. The poet, though a great Jain Srāvaka, has very elaborately described erotic love-scenes and also other associated romantic actions, prescribed by Vätsyāyana, with evident relish. He has also shown his mastery over Sanskrit vocabulary and metres and
