Jain Journal 2005 04

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

Page 11

170
JAIN JOURNAL VOL-XXXIX, NO. 4 APRIL. 2005
king to show respect to the reputed preceptor of the Jainas as well as to his faith. This attitude of Dharmapala to Bappabhațți and to his faith was construed as conversion of Dharmapala to Jainism.
It has been already stated that Bappabhaṭṭi was invited by king Dharmapala to enter into a religious debate with a great Buddhist scholar Vardhanakunjara whom he eventually defeated and earned for himself the grand designation of "Vādi Kunjara Kesari" the lion who defeated the elephant in argument."
5919
As the name "Vardhana-Kunjara" could not be traceable to the list of the Buddhist teachers and preceptors who flourished during the reign of king Dharmpāla, it was thought by Jinologists and historians that the whole event of the debate as well as the defeat of the Buddhist scholar was invented for the glorification of the Acārya. But it seems to the present writer that the event is not a figment of imagination of the medeival Jaina authors. The event of debate is not illusory, but an historical fact and the name of the participant Buddhist scholar is Pūrṇavardhana traceable to the galaxy of Buddhist Acārya.20 (The indentification of Vardhana Kunjara with Pūrṇavardhana has been discussed at the end of the article.) Though Rajasekharasuri speaks of the victory of the Jaina Acārya, he did not be-little the scholarship and erudition of the Buddhist disputant. Even he did not underrate the hold of Buddhist religion upon the people of Gauda Vanga, because Rajasekharasūri did not hesitate to divulge that Vardhana Kunjara/ Pūrṇavardhana was defeated by a clever trick which was played upon him by Bappabhațți. Of course, the playing of such tricks over their opponents were not considered a matter of shame, according to the standard of that age.
As stated earlier, the name of the Buddhist scholar who participated in the religious disputation was Vardhana-Kunjara-an unusual and peculiar name to be the proper name of a person. The
19. Mrs. Stevenson, Heart of Jainism.
20. Taranatha's "History of Buddhism in India". ed. D. P. Chattopadhyaya p.
276.