Jainism and Karnataka Culture

Author(s): S R Sharma
Publisher: Karnataka Historical Research Society Dharwar

Page 61

HISTORICAL SURVEY
Rāştrakūta king so persistently named; and it is possible that he lived at the court of Kșşņa I in the eighth century A. D. as suggested by Mr. Hiralal.180
In the opening verses of the Ganitasarasamgraha by Mahāvīrācārya it is stated that it was written under Amoghavarşa I (c. 815 A. D.). It is supposed that the author might have been one of the court poets. 181 The Jayadhavala-tikā, one of the rarest Jaina works, was composed by Virasenācārya at about the same time. Its concluding portion is attributed to Jinasena who also commenced the Adipurāņa under Amoghavarşa I. 189 The author calls himself the Parama-guru or chief preceptor of Amoghavarşa; and the Uttara-purāna, the sequel to the Adi-purāņa, confirms the fact by stating,
यस्य प्रांशुनखांशुजाकविसरदारान्तराविर्भवत्पादांभोजरजापिशंग मुकुटप्रत्यग्ररत्नयुतिः। संस्मर्ता स्वममोघवर्षनृपतिः पूतोऽहमवेत्यलम्
स श्रीमान् जिनसेनपूज्यभगवत्पादो जगन्मंगलम् ॥ Amoghavarşa prostrated himself before Jinasena and thought himself purified thereby. 18 In his Pārsvābhyudaya Jinasena blesses his royal pupil and wishes that he might reign long.184 But more interesting than anything else is the composition of the Ratnamālikā.or more fully Praśnottara-Ratnamālikā attributed to Amoghavarşa's own authorship.185 It is the 'gem-chaplet of questions and answers'.on Jaina ethics; and Guņabhadra, the co-pupil of Amoghavarşa relates :
130 Hiralal, Cat. of M88 ia C. P. and Berar, Introd., pp. xxvi-viil;
Peterson, Report on San. MSS IV, p. 79. Cf. B. O, R. I., XIII, ii.
D. 164 : snd Nyāya-kumadacandra, Introd., p. 105 (Bombay 1988 ). 131 Bhandārkar, Bon, Graz, I ii, pp. 200-201 ; Hiralal, Cat. of MSS, in
C, P. and Borår, Introd, p. XXIV. 139 Ibid., p. XXIII. 133 Nathuram Promi, Vidvadratnamála I, p. 79; Bhandarkar, .Bom, Gas,
I ii, p. 407; Pathak, JBBRAS XVIII, p. 224. 134 Bhandarkar, Early Hoitory of tho Dekkan, p. 88 n 3. 186 Ibid., p. 69: Bom. Gas I i, pp. 200-201.
cf. Altekar, op. cit., p. 89.