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OCTOBER, 1907.)
THE AGE OF THE TAMIL JIVAKACHINTAMANI.
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THE AGE OF THE TAMIL JIVAKACHINTAMANI.
BY T. S. KUPPUSWAMI SASTRI (TANJORE).
THE religious works of the Jainas made their appearance first in Sanskrit, and then,
I assuming the garb of the Indian vernaculars, spread through the country. The Tamil Jivakachintamani is probably one of such. Having been adapted into Tamil, it is looked upon even during the present day as a standard Tamil classic. The works that deal with the story of Jivaks are four in number, vin. - (1) the Gadyachintamani by Vådibhasimha, (2) the Kshattrachúddmaņi by the same author, (3) the Jivanilharachample by Harichandra. These three are in Sanskpit. Another work is said to have been composed by Harichandra and called the Jivanidharandļaka, which is believed to treat of the life of Jivaka. No manuscript of it has been traced so far, and I therefore doubt if it ever existed. Consequently, it may at present be assumed that the fourth extant work dealing with the life of Jivaka is (4) the Tamil Jivakachintamani. We shall now proceed to examine if this poem is an original work, or if it is merely an adaptation of some earlier epic.
Mahậmahðpadhyâya Pandit Saminatha Aiyar, in his edition of a portion of the Jivakachintamani, published in 1899, observes : “The Sanskrit works Kshattrachůdamani and Gadyachintamani by Vadtbhasimha, and Jivandharachampú and Jivandharandtaka by Harichandra deal with the story of Jivaka. This story is related in the Mahapurdna, which contains the stories of the sixty-three Salakd purushas. The bilingual Sripurna, which gives an account of the twenty-four tirthakaras, also refers to the life of Jivaka in the story of Sri-Vardhamana. On comparing the first three poems with the Jivakachintamani, I was struck with the resemblances etween the two, and thought that in each of the former could be found several passages containing the sentiments and ideas expressed in some of the verses of the latter. I naturally began to suspect if the Sanskpit poems had been composed on the model of the Jivakachintamani. But on closer examination it was found that this supposition was untenable, because all the Sanskļit names introduced into the Gadyachintamani Kahattrachudamani, and Harichandrachampa are found in the Tamil work. Many corrupt Sanskrit and Prakrit words and many coincidences of thought and sentiment were at the same time traceable. I, accordingly, concluded that tho Jivakachintamani was not an original work like the Tamil Silappadigdram. The former bears a closer resemblance to the Gadyachintamani than to the other two Sanskrit poems, while the story as found in the Jirakachintamani is differont from the account given in the Srí purdna ....." It is thus clear that Mabamahopadhyâya Pandit Saminatha Aiyar is of opinion that the Tamil Jivakachintamani is not an original work, bat that it is, greatly indebted to the Sanskřit Gadyachintamani. A fow of the parallel passages are extracted below and serve to illustrate my remark.
(1) "Uņd-eņav-uraiyir=ketpâr-uyir-uru pêvam-ellán
gand-ini-tteļigav=enru käytuva! polav-agi viņ-doda nivanda kôyil vinnavar-magalir-chenra! ven-dalai payipra katrul vilang-ilai tamiyal-apa!."
Jivakachintamani, Nimagal-ilambagam.
"start hereft yatari ya Tagge arr
TI .
" Kshattrachád&mani, 1st lambak88.
