Contribution of Jainas to Sanskrit and Prakrit Literature

Author(s): Vasantkumar Bhatt, Jitendra B Shah, Dinanath Sharma
Publisher: Kasturbhai Lalbhai Smarak Nidhi Ahmedabad

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Jain Contribution to Sanskrit Literature
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8. Abhayadeva was a Jain monk. He was the pupil of Vijayacandra and a son of Devabhadra, and was fourth in succession from Jinasekharasūri who flourished in Sam. 1204. For his eminence in learning, he was given the title of Vadisiṁha by the king of Kaśi. Under him, the Rudrapatijagaccha rose to greatness. His Jayantavijaya (1221 A. D.), a poem in 19 Cantos, relates the birth and life of Jayata, and was composed in Sam. 1278 (1222 A. D.). It contains elaborate descriptions of the seasons, sunrise, sunset, sports, and expeditions.
9. Viranandi's Candraprabhacarita, in 18 cantos, begins with a description of king Kanakaprabha and describes the life of Candraprabha, a Jain Tirthankara. In the last canto, tenets of Jainism are summarised and the poem ends with Indra's incarnation as Jina. Viranandi must have lived not later than the 13th Century A. D.
10. Amaracandra, also called Amara, was a resident of the town of Vagata near Annhilivad. He belonged to a hierarchy of Jain priests. He was the disciple of Jinadatta Sūri. Having been initiated with the Mantra of SiddhaSaraswati, he attained eminence by penance and the Goddess Saraswati conferred on him the boon of poetry. Once Visaladeva, the king of Gujarat, heard of his greatness and sent for him to his court Dhavalakkaka. He was then examined by a number of court poets, Someśvara and Nanaka among them, and pleased with his greatness, the king honoured him well. King Visaladeva, son of Viradhavala, ruled between 1243-1262 A. D. and Amaracandra must therefore have flourished about the middle of the 13th century. His discription of sunrise brought him the title Venikspāna.
Among his works Balabharata is the most famous. It narrates the story of the Mahabharata in the order of the parvans and is therefore the side a poetic epitome of it. His poetry is of a high order and placed by the side of the Raghuvaṁśa. It may not be possible to discern disparity in literary merit.
11. Udayaprabhasūri (11th C.) was the religious preceptor of Vastupala and Tejapala. He was great as a poet, theologian and astronomer. His Arambhasiddhi is an astronomical work and Upadesmālā Karnika, a commentary on Upadesamala composed in Sam. 1299. His Dharmabhyudaya or Sanghadhipatcarita is a Mahākavya composed on the occasion of Vastupala's pilgrimage to Jain shrines of Western India. Narendraprabha was a collaborator in the poem. His Sukrtkīrtikallolini is a panegyric in praise of Vastupāla and Tejapāla coinposed on the occasion of their pilgrimage to Satruñjaya. The latter