Book Title: Jaina Philosophy Historical Outline
Author(s): Narendra Nath Bhattacharya
Publisher: Munshiram Manoharlal Publisher's Pvt Ltd New Delhi
View full book text
________________
Introduction
25
prabha Sūri's Dharmūbbyudaya, etc. The Jain writers also contributed to the historical Kävya literature.
Of the Prakrit works composed between the tenth and the thirteenth centuries Ad the Mahāvīracarita of Guņacandra, composed about AD 1082, is really unique.? Another work of the same name was written by Devendra Gaộin in AD 1085. Amitagati's compendium of Jain philosophy called Pañcasamgraha and Kanakasena Vădirāja's works on logic like Pramāṇasamgraha, Nyāyaviniscaya-vivarana, etc. as well the dramas of Rāmacandra and Hastimalla show the extent of Jain contribution to different branches of literary activities. The life of Rsabha is described by Vardhamāna in his Adināthacaritra composed in AD 1103. Of other Carita works, Devacandra's Sāntināthacarita (1103), Santi's Sūri's Prthvīcandracarita (1108), Devabhadra's Pārsvanāthacarita (1150), Somaprabha's Sumatināthacarita (1150), Maladhāri Hemacandra's Nemināthacarita (c. 1100), Sricandra's Munisuvratasvāmicarita (1135), another Srīcandra's Sanatkumāracarita (1157), Haribhadra's Mallināthacarita (twelfth century) etc. deserve special mention. Somaprabha's Kumārapāla-pratibodha contains a dialogue between the Caulukya king Kumārapāla and his teacher Hemacandra on Jain precepts.3 The Ulläsikkama-thaya of Jinavalla and Ajiyasānti-thaya of Viraganin are stotras in Prakrit in glorification of Ajita, the second Tīrthamkara, and Sānti, the sixteenth, respectively. These belong to the twelfth century. The Şadbhāşanirmita-pārsvajina-stavana by Dharmavardhana, written about AD 1200, is in six languages, viz. Sanskrit, Mahārāștrī, Māgadhi, Sauraseni, Paiśācī and Apabhramśa. Rāmaśarman composed stabakas in Saurasenī, Māgadhi and Apabhramśa which also belong to the same category.4 Of the didactic poems in Prakrit with a pronounced Jain bias reference may be made to Jayakīrti's Silovaesamālā and Municandra's Gathākośa (twelfth century). Important contributions to Jain doctrines in Prakrit are Jinacandra Ganin's Navapaya, written about AD 1015 with a Sanskrit commentary, and Navatattvaprakaranas a treatise on nine fundamental truths of Jainism, Another significant work of the eleventh century is the Jiyaviyåra by Santi Sūri which
1See Winternitz, HIL, II, pp. 486ff. Ghatage in ABORI, XVI, pp. 38ff.
*Ed. with intro, etc. by Muni Jinavijaya in GOS, XIV, 1920, and tr. by L. Alsdorf, Hamburg, 1929.
'Ed. Grierson in IA, LI, pp. 13ff.; LII, pp. 2ff.; LVI, pp. 1ff.; LVII, pp. 21ff. SEd. with two coms in AGR, X, 1912.