History of Canonical Literature of Jainas

Author(s): Hiralal R Kapadia, Nagin J Shah
Publisher: Prakrit Text Society Ahmedabad

Page 212

THE CANONICAL EXEGETICAL LITERATURE
195
Visesā°—This is Samāsyabhāsal, i.e. to say a Bhasa on the Nijutti of Avassaya (I). Not only are some of the verses of this Nijjutti incorporated in ita; but, even some of the gathās of two earlier Bhāsas on this Nijjutti, too, are assigned a place herein. This work is named as Visesāo in order to distinguish it from this Bhāsa? and that, too, probably by some commentator other than Jinabhadra. It refers to Vāsavadattā and Tarangavai in v. 1508.5 The former seems to be none else than the work of Subandhu, a predecessor of Bana and the latter that of Padalipta Sūri. Further, in Visesā°, there are some verses which tally with those of Kappabhāsa and Vavahārabhāsa.? Its verses 2104 and 2195 agree ad verbatim with Sammaipayarana (III, v. 52 and 49). Besides, in this work, there are Vaidika references. These along with their original sources are noted in Av. Lit. on pp. 37-38. All these facts along with the mention of Jinabhadra Gani by Haribhadra Sūri may be utilized for verifying his traditional date (Saṁvat 645). He himself has composed a com.10 on Visesão -a statement1l made by Kotyācārya in his com. (p. 245) on 1 Cf. "Hali TUSİ HTH THIŞY HITI
Els afrohet i AHMT311111 X38!!" --Visesão 2 For a list of these verses see Av. Lit. (pp. 35-36). 3 It appears that Haribhadra Sūri in his commentary (p. 21b) on Dasaveyaliya uses
the word Sāmāyikabrhadbhāsya to denote Visesão. 4 In Kappacunni (pedhabandha 93) we have : "TET Pada OUTÀ." Vide Av. Lit.
(p. 31 fn.). "जह वा निद्दिठ्ठवसा वासवदत्ता-तरंगवइयाई। तह निदेसगवसओ लोए मणुरक्खवाउ त्ति ॥१५०८॥" He is referred to in Nisīhabhāsa and Kappacunni. He is said to be a favourite of Murunda, who may be Vinaspharni (?), a governor of Pataliputra appointed by King Kaniska. It seems he flourished sometime between A. D. 94 to A. D. 162. He is regarded as the originator of a language (?) named after him. He composed a Desīnāmamālā as can be inferred from Kalikālasarvajña Hemacandra's com. on
his own work Rayanavali (v. 2). 7 See Av. Lit. (p. 36) and pp. 21-22 of the portion preceding the Gujarātī
prastāvanā to Visesão (Part II). Some of these occur in the Cunni on Avassaya, in Haribhadra Sūri's com. on it, in various commentaries on Visesa", in Kincidganadharavāda and in a laghuvstti
on Dasaveyāliya, too. 9 They are reproduced in Jaina sāhitya samsodhaka. (vol. II, No. 1, pp. 84-91). 10 This com. is now extinct; but it existed in the time of Maladhārin Hemacandra
Sūri (vide his com. on v. 500 of Visesā) and also Malayagiri Sūri as can be
seen from his com. (pp. 4246-4254) to Pannavaņā (paya XXI). 11. "375 a 169914: FacRTI TRITUGUT 04".
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