Danadiprakarana

Author(s): Suracharya, Amrutlal Bhojak, Nagin J Shah
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

Page 7

INTRODUCTION
1. Critical Apparatus
The only extant manuscript of the Danadiprakarana composed by Sürācārya belongs to the Sanghavi Padā Jaina Jñāna Bhandāra, Patan, This Bhaņdāra is now preserved in the Hemacandrācārya Jaina Jäāna Mandir, Patan. The manuscript is incomplete. Now it has 72 folios. The first three folios are missing. Folios 4-6, 8, 15, 23, 25, 39, 74, 75 are mutilated. Hence some syllables are lost to us. These missing syllables of the verses are indicated by hyphens (-). The Ms., as we have it, has no colophon. In the Catalogue entitled 'Pattanastha Pracya Jain Bhandagariya Grantha Sūci' published by the Oriental Institute, Baroda, this ms.is numbered 307(7); see page 185. In the new list it is numbered 205(7). The ms. is not dated. But on the basis of the characteristics of the script it can be assigned to the 12th Century V. S. Nearly forty years ago Pt. Amrutlal M. Bhojak prepared the press-copy on the basis of this ms. The Late Agama-Prabhākara Munirāja Shri Punyavijayaji went through this press-copy. And on the basis of this press-copy we have edited the text printed here.
2. Date and Importance of the Work
It is mentioned in the Brahattipanika that surăcarya composed his Nemicaritamahakavya in 1090 V. S. Hence we can safely put the composition of the Dānādiprakarana in the last two decades of the 11th century V. S. This period is marked by a kind of revolution in the Svetāmbara tradition. There had existed before 11th century V. S. practice of caityavāsa by monks in the Svetāmbara tradition for several centuries. Finding the rules of conduct prescribed in the Agamas very hard for them, the caityavāsin monks acknowledged their limitations and followed moderate course of conduct. But gradually it became difficult to distinguish between moderation and laxity. Hence, as a reaction to this, there arose in the 11th century V. S. a group of Jaina Svetāmbara monks who disapproved of caityavāsa practices and advocated strict adherence to the code of conduct laid down in the Agamas. They campaigned against the laxity prevalent among the caityavāsin monks.
Of course, tradition of pure renunciation, true non-attachment and study of all śāstras - Jaina as well as non-Jaina - was maintained and continued through centuries by caityavāsı monks. Much has been written on this topic. The caityavāsi monks did not follow strictly the code of mon