Jaina Granth Bhandars in Rajasthan

Author(s): Kasturchand Kasliwal
Publisher: Digambar Jain Atishay Kshetra Mandir

Page 27

Introduction
| 5
ched that one who does not write or persuade others to write the Granthas ou manuscripts, is good for nothing. Only those persons are regarded high and noble who distribute the manuscripts to others for the sake of spreading knowlegel.
At the end of most of the manuscripts we find the following words written "one who writes or makes individuals to write, one who hears or one who makes others to heai, one who gives or one who makes others to distribute, is noble and sharer of Punya. He will surely attain Nirvāņ some day The Jaina teachers also stressed the daily reading of these manuscripts and due to inclusion of the Swadhyāva (Selfreading) in the six duties for a layman, the system of writing of the manuscripts increased day by day and more and more books were placed in the sāstra bhandārs as they were the centres of reading.
BHAȚTĀRKAS & JATIS
Bhattārkas and Jatis or Śrīpujyas and their disciples called Mandalācāryas, Pandyas and Brahmacāris etc. were the originators of the Caityawasi system. The Bha tārkas and Jatīs had great influence on the Jaina community for about seven to eight hundred years. Besides their other contributions to the Jaina community, their services towards the establishment of the Sastra Bhandārs were valuable and noteworthy Though they used to travel throughout the country but for a sufficient uime and specially in rainy season they used to live at fixed places and such places of their stay became the centres of the manuscript libraries. They were great scholais also. They wrote works themselves and placed their copies in the various temples Even today the centres of these Jaina Monks are the big centres of Śăstra Bhandars, namely Nagaur, Amer, AJmer, Pātan, Jasalmer, Ahmedabad, Bikānci, Jaipur, Kāranjā, Dungarpur, Jainabidri All the Grantha Bhandārs were established by these Bhattārkas. As for example the Šāstra Bhandar of Amer was established by the Bhattārak Mahendra kirti in the 17th Century. The Granth Bhandar of Ajmer was founded by the Bhattārak in 12 th Century. The famous Granth Bhandārs of Nāgaur and Jaiselmer were established in Samvat 1572 (1515 AD) and in 12th Century respectively They used to engage several scholars and copyists to copy out the works On
(1) (a) तहि केवलि चरिउ अमरछरेग, गायगदी विग्यउ विरेण । जो पढाइ सुरगड भावइ लिहेड, मो मामग मुहु अविरल लहेइ ।।
---Sudansana Cariyu by Naynandı (b) पढ़ सुण उपज सुबुधि हवै, कल्याण शुम मुख धरण । मन हरसि मनोहर इम कहै, मकल मध मगल करण ।।
--Dharma Parikså hy Manohardas