Jain Journal 1968 04

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

Page 45

APRIL, 1968
191
What a master-prece of poetry! How very rich in allusiont And what a profound depth in history and versatility in mythology! Suracarya had written. "In Bhima, the creator had created the killer of the sons of the blind king, does he now bother to kill one when he could at ease kill a hundred " locidentally it need be mentioned here that, as per tradition, Bhoja's father Sindhula was blinded by his brother Muoja
This testifies the intellectual rivalry that was going on in the two kingdoms on the West Coast, Dhara and Anahillapura, at that time This was largely the outcome of the keen interest taken by the ruling monarchs, notably Bhoja and Bhima, in literary pursuits and to test their literary and dialectical talents poets and dialecticians from different parts of the country often visited the capital of Gujarat and Malava The most important subjects on which the intellectual curiosity of the time was concentrated were tarka, sähitya and laksang-logic and art of dialectics, literature and poetics, grammar and philosophy of language In these, scholars, Jaina as well as non-Jaina, freely participated This intellectual activity was based on a high pedestal of rebgious toleration As Somaprabha says, jassim samaccharamanā jaläsaya na una dhammiyasanrühā The two courts already mentioned were by no means the adherents of the Jaina faith, they were Saiva and Sakta And they yet adored the Jaina savants as much as they did those belonging to the Saiva and Sakta faith In fact, Gujarat at this time had become a great centre of learning where works of Kanada, Aksapada, Uddyotakara, Vacaspati and Udayana were studied There existed colleges (udyāmathas) around the lake Sahasralinga which surrounded the city of Anahıllapura Hemacandra himself has written at length about these seats of learning Explaining the word 'vidyāmatha' the commentator describes these as a type of residence, equipped with materials of feeding clothing, etc , for teachers and students made by kings' But then education here was not restricted to the elite , it had percolated to the masses in consequence of which Anahıllapura had become a veritable dharmagăra or abode of dharma We have it on the authority of Hemacandra that the people of this illustrious city were
präng säuryavęttau prāng fāstre präng Same präng samadhışu präng satye präng saddarsanyam präng şadang yämito janah
First in bravery, first in Šāstra, first in self-control, first in meditation, first in truth, first in sıx schools of philosophy and first in six angas of the Vedas