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Material for Research
HINDI & RĀJASTHANI WORKS
1. JINADATTA CARITA :
Jinadatta Carita or Jinadatta Katha was composed by the poet Rajarsingh in the year 1297 A. D. The work has been discovered in a gutaka of Jaina temple, Pātodī, Jaipur. It describes the life of a Jaina Śravaka Jinadatta who was the son of a richman. Once he went to Ceylon for business and there he married the daughter of the King It contains 553 stanzas.
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The poet was Jaisawal by caste. His father's name was Ate and mother's name was Sirya. The language of the work is influenced by Rajasthani and Apabhramsa. The main metre of the work is Caupai but metres like Doha and Vastu Bandha have also been used. It is perhaps the first big work of old Hindi in which the date of composition is given. It is full of poetic beauty and presents a picture of the social and economical condition of that time. The poet gives his family account and date of completion of work in the following lines :
जइसवाल कुलि उत्तम जाति, वाईसइ पाडल उतपाति ।
पचलीया श्राकउ पूतु, कवइ रल्हु जिरणदत्त चरित ।। २६ ।। माता पाइ नमउ ज जोगु देखि लियउ जेहि मत लोगु ।
उवरि मास दस रहिउ घराइ, धम्मु बुधि हुई सिरीया माइ ।। २७ ।। पुपुर परणव माता पाइ, जेह हउ पालिउ करुणा भाइ
म उवयार हुइसउ उरग्गु, हा हा माइ मज्भु जिरा सर ।। २८ ।। संवत् तेरहसें चउवणे, मादवसुदि पचम गुरु दिण्णे ।
स्वाति नखत्त चदु तुली हती, कवइ रल्ह परणवइ सरसुनी ।। २६ ।
The last portion of the work in which the poet requests his readers not to defame the work, is as follows:---
जो जिद की निंदा करह, सुनत चउपही जलि जलि मरउ । जो यह कथा घालिहइ रालि, तहु मिछत्ती दइ यहु गालि ।। ५४६ || मह जोयउ जिरगदत पुरा, लाखू विरयउ प्रइस पमाणु । देखि विसरू रयउ फुड एहू, हत्थालवणु वृहयरण देहु ||५५०|| जो जिरगदस कउ सुराइ पुराष्णु, तिसको होइ ला रिपव्वार । अजर अमर पर लहइ निरुत, चवह रल्ह भ्रमई कउ पूत ।।५५१ ।।
