Cultural Study of Nisitha Curni

Author(s): Madhu Sen
Publisher: Sohanlal Jain Dharm Pracharak Samiti Amrutsar

Page 28

A CULTURAL STUDY OF THE NISITHA CURNI
humility the author here mentions himself as a person with inferior intellect (manda).' The opening verses of the NC. mention Pradyumna Kşam aśramaņa as the religious preceptor (atthadāi)? of the author. The identity of Pradyumna Kșamāśramaņa is a matter of dispute. However, as Pt. Malvania has observed, "he was definitely different from the Guru Pradyumna of the commentator Abhayadeva, as there is a lot of difference between the periods of the two". According to Pt. Kalyānavijaya Gani, he may be identified with Pradyumna Sūri, the disciple of Ya odeva Sūri and the preceptor of Vararuci (the commentator of the famous astrological treatise Pakariwho flourished in a contemporary period.* Nothing more at present can be said about the personal life of Jinadāsa Gani. Date of Jinadāsa Gani
Jina dāsa Gani must have flourished during the last quarter of the 7th century A. D. Several old Mss. of the Nandi Cūrni mention the date of its composition as Saka Samvat 598, i. e. Vikrama Samvat 733, or A. D. 676. The text edited by Anandasāgara Sūri gives the date as Saka Samvat 500. Both these dates have been questioned by the editor in his preface to the Nandi Carn without giving any specific reasons. It appears that the editor observes so, as this date upsets his belief to the effect that Haribhadra Sūri died in Vira Sanvat 1055.6 Evidences prove that Jinadāsa Gani flourished during this period. He must have flourished some time after Ācārya Jinabhadra, the famous author of many Bhasyas, as many of the latter's verses (gahas) have been quoted by Jinadāsa
1. A different version of this verse has been given by Pt. Kalyānavijaya Gani. There appears to be some difference in the original text of
the NC.-Prabandha Pārijāta, p. 30. 2. सविसेसायरजुत्तं, काउ पणामं च अत्थदायिस्स ।
TourCATARUR, FT-OTOT TETET |--NC. 1, p. 1. 3. Malvania, op. cit., p. 47. 4. Kalyānavijaya Gani, op. cit., p. 4. 5. Nandi Cūrni, p. 83; Kapadia, op. cit., p. 191. 9 Kapadia, op. cit, p. 191.