Jain Legend Vol 3

Author(s): Hastimal Maharaj, Shuganchand Jain, P S Surana
Publisher: Hastimal Maharaj Shugan C Jain P S Surana

Page 167

crya Jina Sena (Punn a congregation)
There had been a number of Influential c ryas who were composers of great holy texts and who by composing grand and voluminous religious texts have contributed immensely to the cause of vast corpus of Jain literature. The name of c rya Jina Sena (Punn a congregation) stands out in the foremost row amongst them. A famous composition by the name 'Harivam apur a' by c rya Jina Sena is available now. However it is an extremely important text as Digambara tradition considers it like a scripture ever since it was composed.
c rya Jina Sena in its citation had mentioned its composition in aka 705 or Vikram 840.
c rya Jina Sena in this text has primarily written about the highly glamorous Y dava lineage of Harivam a but more particularly about the lives of the main icons of Y dava lineage, the 22nd Trthamkara Ari anemi or Nemin tha and ninth N r ya a (V sudeva) rk a. Actually the composer of 'Harivam apur a' has even included the entire epic Mah bh rata also in it.
rama a
c rya
The most important contribution of 'Harivam apur a' is that it has given the chronological names of all c ryas of the unified congregation from the time of Lord Mah v ra till his time (i.e. Jina Sena of Punn a congregation). An important disclosure in this chronology is the mention of c rya ivagupta, who because of his exemplary virtues was decorated with the title Arhadbali. This fact can assist the scholars in further and advanced research to establish the time and reasons for the separation of the combined rama a congregation and origin of Digambara congregation therein.
Actually this jewel like text ‘Harivam apur a' by c rya Jina Sena is of extreme importance for those interested in the history and antiquity of Jainism.
That Punn a congregation was the popular congregation of Karnataka in south India can be said on firm basis as from an ancient inscription of approximately aka 522 in the Pr van tha temple of the vasati in rava abelagol states that crya Bhadra Bahu-II with his disciples went to a place called Ka avapra in Karnataka Prade a. At that time the
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