Jain Journal 1968 04

Author(s): Jain Bhawan Publication
Publisher: Jain Bhawan Publication

Page 21

THE LIFE OF HEMACANDRA
RASIKLAL C PARIKH
The Kumārapala-pratibodha is, our main contemporary authority for information regarding Hemacandra But the author frankly confesses that though there is much else that is interesting in the lives of these two great men (viz , Hemacandra and Kumarapala), he has only touched that part which pertains to the inculcation of Jainadharma Thuis means that though we shall have to examine the later sources in the light of information derived from this work, there will remain many gaps in the life-story of Hemacandra to fill which we will have to rely solely upon the later sources of these, the Prabhāvakacarita is comparatively more useful
The Kumarapāla-pranbodha does not directly narrate the life-story of Hemacandra The author provides a dramatic occasion for it Kumarapala is very anxious to know what true religion is and is not satisfied with what his Brahmanical preceptors tell him Then his minister Bahadadeva narrates the life-story of Hemacandra upto the time he 18 introduced to the king, beginning with the history of the Purnatallagaccha to which Hemacandra belonged This dramatic occasion has been regarded by the later Prabandha-writers and even modern scholars drawing upon them as historical An inference is made from this that this was the first occasion when Hemacandra was introduced to Kumarapala However it appears to me that this prologue 18 purely imaginary
The minister Bahada, after narrating the history of Purnatallagaccha, informs us that Devacandra comes to Dhandhuka in course of his usual itinerary After Devacandra had finished his sermon a handsome-looking boy who was hearing the sermon approaches him and requests him to help him "cross this ocean of the world by giving him boat in the form of sucārıtra, that is, by making him a monk" The guru asks the boy his and his father's names Nemi, the maternal uncle of the boy, who was present there, gives the guru some information about the boy and his parents.
He says, "Here, (ie, in Dhandhuka) lives a prominent merchant of the name of Cacca who worships (his ) god and preceptors He has a wife named Pahina who is my sister This boy is their son His name is