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36 Hemchandracharya's Literary Accomplishment and valour. Unfortunately for us, late Manilal Nabhubhai Dwivedi's translation of the epic poem 'Sanskrit Dvasraya', is not available today. And Prakrit Dvasraya' has not been yet translated.
*Trisastisalakapurusacharitra' means lives of sixty-three excellent men. This epic poem gives descriptions of sixtythree excellent persons - twenty four Tirthankaras from Risabhdev to Mahavir Swami, twelve Chakravartis such as Bharat, Sagar, Sanatkumar, Subhum and Harisen, ten Vasudevs such as Krishna, Triprustha, Svayambhu, Datta, Narayan etc., nine Baldevs such as Achal, Vijay, Sudarshan, Anand, Rama and Nandan etc., nine Prativasudevs such as Ravan, Prahallad, Jarasangha, Bali etc. Such powerful persons whose liberation is now beyond doubt are called Shalakapurus (excellent persons). Written at the request of Kumarpal this epic poem consisting of more than 36000 verses is comparable to the Mahabharat and the Puranas. This epic poem consists of 10 parvas written in the Anustup metre. The first parva depicts the lives of Tirthankara Rusabhdev and Chakravarti Bharat. The last tenth parva present the life of Mahavir Swami in detail. This oceanic book contains numerous short and long stories besides lives of excellent person. History, philosophy, religions and social festivals, customs, the condition of countries,
Hemchandracharya's Literary Accomplishment 37 people's manners are realistically presented. Shree Motichand Kapadia has noted that the author has so arranged the words that if one reads it from beginning to end the whole dictionary of the sanskrit language would be studied. 'Trisastisalakapurus Charitra' is an encyclopeadia of Jain stories, history, Pauranic stories, Jain doctrines and philosophy. Than Dvasraya this book gives more varieties. As this book was written in the later years of the author's life, it reveals greater maturity in the Praface Kumarpal requested Hemchandracharya as under :
"Formarly at the respectful request of my ancestor Siddharaj you wrote a grammar-book with a section of explanations, for me you wrote the pure Yogashastra and for people you wrote the Dvasraya poem, Chhandonushasan, Kavyanushasan Namasangrah and other sciences. O Lord, you are yourself out to do good to the people but I pray to you to enlighten the lives of the sixty-three excellent persons."
Thus Hemchandracharya wrote this book with a view to preaching religion. It is not a child's play to write such a voluminous book in later years of life. From religious point of view this book introduces the reader to the Jain religion, philosophy and traditions. From historical viewpoint, too, two sections of the
