Jain Journal 2005 04

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

Page 12

CHITTARANJAN PAL: BAPPABHATTISŪRI AND JAINISM IN BENGAL
171
name is a compound of two words - (1) Vardhana and (II) Kunjara. The meaning of the word Vardhana is vrdhi or growth or development whereas the meaning of the word kunjara is hastī or an elephant. So the meaning of the compound Vardhana Kunjara is Vridhi Hasti or Vardhana - Hasti. It is to be noted that the name would have been endowed with a meaning had the name been Kunjara Vardhana. Such names as Nandi Vardhana, Rājya Vardhana were not unknown in ancient India. In Sanskrit, when the word kunjara is placed after another word, it undergoes a change in meaning. As, for example, Nara-kunjara means nara-śreștha or greatest of men or best man.
In the same way, Vardhana - kunjara, may mean fullest of growth or in Sanskrit “Pūrņa - Vardhana". So, there should be no difficulty in identifying Vardhana Kunjara with Pūrņa-vardhana.
In this connection, it will be better to remember that, Rājasekharasūri in “Prabandhakoşa” did not use the proper name of king Ama anywhere. In another book, “Aryamanjusri māla kalpa" kings of different dynasties and different times were never called by their proper names but either by synonyms or by the first letter of their proper names. As, for example, 'H' for Harsavardhana “R” for Rajyavardhana and “Soma" - a synonym for king Saśānka of Bengal etc. have been used.21
The present writer is of opinion that Vardhana Kunjara of Jaina tradition and Pūrņavardhana of Lāmā Tāranātha's book is identical and the same person. Lāmā Tāranātha in his famous book "History of Buddhism in India” has put up a list of Buddhist preachers, teachers and scholars who illuminated the horizon of Eastern India during the reign of Dharmapala.22 In that list Pūrņavardhana occupies a pre-eminent place among the Buddhist Ācāryas. And to Pūrņavardhana Tibetan Tanjur attributes the authorship of a commentary on Abhidharmakosa and an abridged version of the same.
21. R. C. Mazumdar, History of Ancient Bengal, p.53. 22. Täranātha's History of Budhism in India, p. 276. f. n. 13.