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Shri Mahavir Jain Aradhana Kendra
www.kobatirth.org
Acharya Shri Kailassagarsuri Gyanmandir
INTRODUCTION
17
Ms., Ciçtāmbūra, i.e., mod. Chittamur, Tamil Nadu ) or Chittamur, where, at present, there is a Jaina Magha. Being a Bhattaraka at Sravapa Belgola he got the designation Cărukirti.2
The colophon from the Arrah Ms. qualifies Cārukīrti as Ballāļarāya-jīva-rakṣāpāla which needs some elucidation. As mentioned in two inscriptions at Sravana Belgoļa ( Nos. 254 ( 105 ) of 1398 and 258 ( 108 ) of 1432 A. D), one of the Gurus of the local Matha, Cărukirtipandita, is said to have cured the Hoysala king Balla!a I (A, D. 1100-1106) of a terrible disease and thence to have acquired the title Ballāļa-jīva-rakşaka ( E. C., Bangalore 1923, Intro. pp. 31, 63 ). This event is described with some different details in the Biļigi Inscription of Saka 1515 or A, D. 1592-3 (See Śrī Panjeyavara Nenapāgi, Puttur 1952, Part 2, pp. 18-9). The teacher here is men. tioned as Cárukīrti Panditadevācārya. One of his successor-pupil was Srutakīrtideva who made his pupil Aggaļa compose the Candraprabhapurana the date of the composition of which is 1189 A. D. (Karnāçaka Kavicarite, Vol. I, pp. 323 f., Bangalore 1961).
Panditācārya composed the GV at Śravana Be!goļa in the holy presence of Bahubali-jina (i.e., the famous
1) The Arrahms. containing the Kannada commentary has a
concluding colophon (after verse No. 15 ) from which this point is explicit :
श्रीमद्रायराजगुरुभूमण्डलाचार्यवर्य महावादिवादीश्वर रायवादिपितामहसकल विद्वज्जनचक्रवर्तिबल्लाळरायजीवरक्षापाल इत्याद्यनेकबिरुदावलिविराजित-श्रीमद्-बेलगुलसिद्धसिंहासनाधीश्वर-श्रीमदभिनवचारुकी तिपण्डिताचार्यचर्यप्रणीत-गीतवीतरागाभि
171991 ! 19: I ( with minor corrections ).
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