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
Patell. He refers to other four published commentaries on the Kumarasambhavam . K. G. Ambikas refers to six Sanskrit commentaries from Kerala and gives details about two unpublished Keralite commentaries in one article, published Shri Venkateshwar University Oriental Journal. Unfortunately, the Ms. of Jhāru Pandita's commentary has not received any attention of scholars writing about the Kumārasambhavam. About the Manuscript :
The manuscript of the commentary of Jhāru Pandita on the Kumārasambhavam is available in Oriental Institute of Baroda, bearing Acc. No. 2099 i.e. a very early collection of the Institute, during Sir Sayajirao Maharaja (III)'s Royal regime. It is on an old countrymade brownish paper, with total sixty folios, written in prsthamātrā on both sides of folio in Devanagari script. The size of the Ms. is 11 cms. x 26 cms. There are about 17 lines to a page and about 60 letters in a line. The granthasankhyā or extent of the ms. is about 2400. On the last page, it is noted that this is a copy of Muni Kušalavijaya, who was disciple of Pt. Sāntivijaya Gani.. The scribe begins the ms. with Om Namo Vītarāgāya, which indicates Jain origin. The middle portion of each page has artistic design, made by keeping blank space. This is also a Jain peculiarity. The supra and infra margins are of equal measure. The Recto and verso margins are also of equal meansures, with four lines drawn on each side. The ms. is written by single scribe in a good hand writing. No date is found anywhere in the ms., but the ms. seems to be old of about 14th or 15th century A. D. from the paper and style of writing. There are many lacunae in the manuscript. Moreover the ms. is very very corrupt. These facts indicate ignorance of the scribe regarding the Sanskrit language. From the colophons of the cantos, the name of commentator Jhārupandita and the name of commentary Yasodharanandini are known. The title Yasodharanandini also indicates Jain influence and most probably the commentator Jhārupandita may be a Jain scholar. The beginning of the ms. is as follows:
द०॥ ॐ नमो वीतरागाय । अस्त्युत्त० ॥ हिमालयो नाम हिमालय इति प्रसिद्धो नगाधिराजो भूभृतां नाथोऽस्ति अद्यापि वर्तते । यद्यद्यापि वर्तते तर्हि कुत्र वर्तत इत्याशङ्कायामाह । उत्तरस्यां दिशीति ।
The colophon to the first sarga is in the following form - इति झारुपंडितविरचितायां कुमारसंभवटीकायां । यशोधरनंदिन्यां प्रथमः सर्गः ॥छ।। The concluding portion of the ms. is as follows —