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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Contribution of Jainas to Sanskrit and Prakrit Literature
Dșsyakāvya 27. Ramacandra was the famous one-eyed pupil of Hemacandra and lived in 12th century. "Two legends are connected with regard to this circumstance." According to them, Ramacandra was unruly and when taken before the sage Jayamana, he made him have a single eye to the furthering of the Jain faith. On this, Rāmacandra lost one of his bodily eyes. According to the other legend, the loss was the punishment for criticism passed by Ramacandra in spite of the warning of his teacher on a poem of Sripāla. He is reported to be the author of hundred works, of which only a few are now available. Of these, some are dramas, Nalavilāsa, Raghuvilāsa, Raghavābhyudaya, Yādavābhyudaya, Nirbhayabhima, Vanamālikā, Mallikāmakaranda, Satyahariscandra, and Kaumudimitrānanda.
Ramacandra along with Gunacandra wrote a treatise on dramas, Nātyadarpana. It is valuable in literacy history for its quotations from various works of great merit, now lost to us.
28. Ramabhadra or Rama, the Jaina monk and poet, was the disciple of Vadidevasūri according to Prabhāvakacaritra. Vadideva died in sam. 1226 (1272 A. D.). His play Prabuddha-Rauhineyam was enacted at the festival of Sri Yugadideva in a temple constructed by Chahamana chiefs Yaśovira and Ajayapala, sons of Pārsvacandra, whose munificence is recorded in inscriptions bearing dates Sam. 1242, 1268. The poet, therefore, flourished about the last quarter of the 13th century A. D.
Sangita 29. Pārsvadeva was the son of Ādideva and Gauri of the race of Srikantha and disciple of Mahādevarāya. He was a Jain and his belief is that music is a way to salvation, while Darśanas are not. He calls himself Sangitasakara and Srutijñacakravartin, Abhinava-Bharatācārya, etc. He refers to kings Bhoja, Someśvara and Paramardin and is quoted by Singabhupala and must therefore, have lived in the 13th century. His Sangitāsamayasara has 9 adhikaranas, on nāda, dhwani, on sthāyis, on rāgas, on dhokki, etc. on vādya, on abhinaya, on tāla, on Vädya, and on Prastāra, etc., and ends with adhvayoga. He mentions writers king Pratapa, Digambara and Sankara, etc.
30. Sudhākalasa was a Jain and pupil of Rāja Sekhara Suri. In six chapters on music and dancing, he wrote Sangitopanishad with commentary
calling the whole Sangitopanishad in Sam. 1380 (1323 A. D.) and in Sam. 1406