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COMMENTARIES ON THE GOMMATASĀRA
B. K. KHADABADI
Ācārya Nemicandra, generally known as Nemicandra Siddhānta Cakravarti, was a very eminent Jaina teacher who flourished in the region of the modern Sravanabelgoļa in Karnatak during the latter half of the 10th century and the first quarter of the 11th century A. D. Belonging to and topping the desīya gaña, he was the preceptor of the great Cāmundarāya and was highly revered by him :
trilokasära-pramukha........ ......bhuvi Nemicandraḥ vibhāti saidhāntika-sarvabhaumah Cāmundarājārcita-pădapadmah Il
(The author of religious works), Trilokasära and others, Nemicandra, the monarch among those well versed in scriptural knowledge, shines in the world, with his lotuslike feet worshipped by Cāmundarāja. Besides his usual instruction to Cāmuṇdarāya in the Jaina tenets', Ācārya Nemicandra also composed some works with the purpose of imparting to this royal lay disciple the important facets of scriptural knowledge as systematically culled from ancient works like the Lokavibhāga, the Tiloyapannatti, the Şarkhandāgama of Puspadanta and Bhūtabali with the Dhavala, Jayadhavala and Mahadhavala commentaries. All of his works are in Prakrit viz., Jaina Sauraseni. They can be enumerated as follows:
(i) Davva-Sangaha (Dravya-sangraha)* (ii) Tiloyasāra (Trilokasāra)" (iii) Gommatasara (Gommagasāra) (iv) Laddhisāra (Labdhisāra)
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