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JAINISM AND KARNATAKA CULTURE The poet's high ideal of the function of his art is thus stated by him :
त एव कवयो लोके त एव च विचक्षणाः । येषां धर्मकांगत्वं भारती प्रतिपयते ॥ धर्मानुबंधिनी या स्यात्कविता सैव शस्यते ।
शेषा पापासवा यैव सुप्रयुक्तापि जायते ॥ 70 • They alone are true poets in this world, they alone are truly wise, in whom speech ( poetry) engenders the embodiment of Dharma ; that poetry alone rules which is in accordance with righteousness; the rest, however amiable it might seem, tends to wickedness and bondage.'
According to Mr. Prêmi, Guņabhadra has attained the same success in completing the later portion of the Mahā Purāņa as Bāṇabhatta's son had attained in completing the Kādambari of his father. Out of due humility, Guņabhadra compares his own task to the completion of a building the major portion of which has already been constructed by another; or better still
पक्षोरिवास्य पूर्वार्धमेवाभावि रसावहम् ।
यथा तथास्तु निष्पत्तिरिति प्रारभ्यते मया ॥1 Again he declares :
गुरुणामेव माहात्म्यं यदपि स्वादु मद्वचः।
तरूणां हि स्वभावोऽसो यत्फलं स्वादु जायते ॥ If my words are sweet they only declare the greatness of my guru, just as the sweetness of the fruit is but the outcome of the nature of the tree.'
नियोति हृदयावाचो हदि मे गुरवः स्थिताः।
ते तत्र संस्करिष्यते तत्र मेऽत्र परिश्रमः॥ My task is only to transcribe here what my gurus seated in my heart engender in the speech proceeding from my heart. '73
Another work of importance, written by Jinasena, is the Parśvābhyudaya.78 “This poem is one of the curiosities of
70 71 79 73
Tbid., pp. 63-4. Ibid., p. 71. Toid., P.72.
d., P.58,
