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THE JAINA GAZETTE (1) The word 'Gommata' is also found in Kanarese as an adjective, meaning 'pleasing, beautiful '1 wherefore some hold that Nemicandra may have called Camunda Raya 'Gommata' or 'Gommata Raya', meaning 'a beautiful person,' 'of a pleasing appearance' or 'the Raya of a pleasing appearance.' But it is not probable that Camunda Raya could be below 50 (if not 60) years of age at the time of the installation (981 a.c.), as his exploits he has himself recounted in his 'Camundarayapurana' (978 A.C.) sufficiently bear out the fact that he must have been already on the wrong side of fifty when he finished it; if so, it is quite unusual that anyone that has left the youth pretty far behind him, and has consecreted the evening of his life to religion and solemn deeds of religion would be addressed as beautiful. Moreover, Camunda Raya was a man of arms, a great hero, every moment of whose life (till he took exclusively to religion) was occupied with some heroic action, and every inch of whose body must, consequently, have been blurred by the scars, commemorative of his victorious exploits ; nor was he less devoted to his religion : he was a man of extraordinary piety, as is undeniably evidenced by his several works in letters and stone; wherefore the term 'beautiful' or 'pleasing ', which would very well suit a young gallant, would surely be quite out of place when applied to him, nor would the scholarly and saintly Nemicandra ever stoop to give him such a name, as could not but savour of sensuality, be it innocent enough to mean but pleasing to the eye' or 'beautiful to look at.' lf, on the other hand, the word Gommata, be interpreted to mean of a pleasing nature', its application to Camunda Raya would not be inappropriate ; but the derivation of the word, as will be discussed below, does not seem to warrant any sense other than sensual, and it can therefore only mean 'pleasing to the eye.' Besides, why should Nemicandra give one more name or title to Camunda Raya, who already had other names (such as
1 Vide Sravana Belgola inscriptions -(1) no. 234 (circa, 1113 A C.) The general Hulla caused this excellent temple of Jina to be built, so that the people said it was beautiful as an orpament to Gommata pura' ( beautiful '-'gommata").
Shree Sudharmaswami Gyanbhandar-Umara, Surat
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