Jain Journal 1989 10

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

Page 26

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JAIN JOURNAL
The Ritthanemicariya
Svayambu's second voluminous epic, viz. Ritghanemicariya (Sk. Aristanemicarita) also called Harivamsa-purāna deals with the favourite subject of the life-story of the twenty-second Tirthankara Aristanemi along with the narrative of Krsna and the Pandavas in its Jaina version. Barring a few extracts, the work is still unpublished. Its one hundred and twelve cantos (said to contain 1,937 kadavakas and about 18,000 units of thirty two syllables) are distributed over four books : Jayava (Sk. Yadava), Kuru, Jujjha (Sk. Yuddha) and Uttara. Here too Svayambhu had several precedents. Vimala Suri and Vidagadha in Prakrit, Jinasena (c. 783-784 A.D.) in Sanskrit and Bhadra (or Dantibhadra, Bhadrasva ?), Govinda and Caturmukha in Apabhramsa appear to have written epics on the subject of Harivamsa before the ninth century. The portion of the Rițşhanemicariya after the ninety-ninth sandhi was written by Svayambu's son Tribhuvana and further, a few interpolations were made in the sixteenth century by an Apabhramsa poet Yasahkiriti Bhattaraka of Gopacala (modern Gwalior).
Of the several epics in the sandhi-form written after Svayambhu on the same two subjects, particulars about a few are given below :
Author
Work
Remarks
Dhavala
Harivamsa-purāņa
Date Not later than 10th cent.
Contains 122 cantos
Yasahkirti Bhattarka
Pāndu-purāna
1523
Contains 34 cantos
15th cent.
A Rama-epic in 11 cantos
Pandit Raidhu (1) Balabhadra-purāņa alias Simhasena (2) Nemināthacarita Srutakirti Harivamśa-purāņa
1551
Contains 40 cantos
The works testify to the living tradition and popularity of these themes even some seven centuries after Svayambhu.
Puspadanța
From the works of Puspadanta alias Mammaiya (c. 957-972 A.D.) we come to know of two other subject-types treated in the sandhi-form. Puspandanta was born of Brahmana parents that were later converted