Devindatthao Devendrastava

Author(s): D S Baya
Publisher: Agam Ahimsa Samta Evam Prakrit Samsthan

Page 25

XXIV: DEVENDRASTAVA second primary canonical work, Sūtrakrtānga.' Possibly this chapter of the Sūtrakrtānga, Vīrastuti' marks the beginning of the eulogistic compositions in the Jaina tradition. However, this composition can also be called as eulogistic only on the basis of the fact that its author sings the Lord's praise by mentioning His virtues and attributal names. As opposed to the normal genre of eulogistic compositions, he does not beg for any personal mundane favours. After the Vīrastuti, the next work in the style of eulogisto composition was, possibly, the ‘Sakrastava' popularly known as 'Namotthu nam'. This composition is generic in nature that eulogises the Arahantas without naming anyone in particular. However, while Sakrastava depicts the Arahantas as divine beings with extra worldly attributes the Vīrastuti, except a few instances, eulogises Lord Mahāvīra as the best amongst the worldly persons and not as an extra-worldly divine personage. However, it cannot be denied that in this work (Vīrastuti) also some divine attributes have found their entry over the Lord's life-sketch given in the first part of the Ācārānga. Also, while the Vīrastuti of the Sū trakrtānga is a poetry, the sakrastava is in prose. From all this we feel that in the beginning, 'Pucchisu ņam' was the only eulogistic composition in praise of Lord Mahāvīra and 'Namotthu namas the only one in the praise of the venerable Arhantas. The name Sakrastava only confirms this theory, because Sakrastava or Devendrastava also mean the eulogy of the Lord by Sakra or Devendra (the kings of heavenly gods).
After these two, the next composition in this genre is the ‘Logassa or the Caturvimśatistava', which is an eulogistic composition singing the praise of all the twenty-four Tīrtharkaras and, therefore, it is fair to assume that it was composed only after the concept of twenty-four Prophets had firmly established itself
1
Sūtrakstānga, Ed. Muni Madhukar, Agam Prakashan Samiti, Beawar, I Ed., Chapter VI, ‘Vīratthui'.