________________
138 / The Rāştrakūtas and Jainism
was famous for his poem full of melody, echoing with the waves of nine rasas, accepted poetic sentiments. Mallikārjuna and Mallakavi, anthologists, have quoted his stanzas. Kēsirāja (1275), reputed grammarian, quotes a protion of a stanza from an unknown campū kāvya of Guņanandi, in his sabda-mani-darpaņa. Gunanandi has authored Sabdārņava or Prakriyāvatāra, a gloss on Pūjyapāda Dēvanandi's (late 6th cent.) Jainendra vyākaraṇa. Gunanandi, a prominent patriarch, figures in inscriptions with the important cognomen of căritacakrēśvara ('emperor of right conduct'), tarka-vyākaraņasastra-nipuņa (dexterous in logic, grammar, (and) sciences”), sāhitya-vidyāpati (ʻLord of literary equipment').
5.5.6. Indranandi (C. E. 930), illustrious preceptor of poet Ponna (C. E. 960), states in his Sanskrit work Jvālinikalpa, composed in C. E. 939 at Maļkhēd, that Kandarpa and Gunanandi were the preceptors who taught him the cult of Jvālini-kalpa, the attendent deity of Candraprabha, the eighth Tirthankara. This clearely establishes that both the Jaina authors, Kandarpa (Manasija) and Gunanandi who are mentioned by other poets of Kannada, lived and wrote in circa 900 C. E. during the epoch of Kșşņa-II, son of Amõghavarşa-I. Kēsirāja's expression of Gunanandiya Manasijana...' is perfectly in chronological order. Manasija is an alias of Kandarpa.
5.5.6.1. The Răstrakūtas followed the pattern of the Gangas in patronising Jaina men of letters. From the early fifth cent. onwards upto late tenth cent. Jaina genius had dominated the royal courts. Almost all the works of this time were authored by Jaina talents. Circumstantial evidences substantiate the statement that most of the not extant, but the names of either the work or the author are known, works were also Jaina. They were the real trend setters. Thanks to the consistent cultivation by the Jaina men of letters,
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
