Jainism in South India and Some Jaina Epigraphs

Author(s): P B Desai
Publisher: Jain Sanskruti Samrakshak Sangh Solapur

Page 367

JAINA EPIGRAPHS: PART III
841 teacher. But he cannot be indentified with Sarvanandi of this record as the former is stated to have been the disciple of Sivanandi. Another consideration that goes against this identification is this. The Coorg epigraph' shows that its Sarvunandi was living in a. D. 888, the date of the record; whereas according to the present inscription our Sarvanandi passed away in A. D. 881-82.
The expression Ekachattuguda Bhatāra which occurs as the name of Sarvanandi's preceptor is rather queer. This could be neither his designation nor his title. It appears to be a sort of nick-name by which he was popularly known. This nick-name was acquired by him probably on account of his association with an earthen vessel which he always carried with him; as the expression chattuga' in the name may be connected with the Kannada word chatti' meaning an ‘earthen pot. The whole expression may therefore be rendered as the monk of an earthen jar.
Brief as the record is, it furnishes interesting information about the personality of sage Sarvanandi. He was a great ascetic and an uble exponent of the Juina doctrine. By his saintly character and constant practice of preaching he wielded supreme influence on the minds of the people. He does not seem to have originally belonged to this place, i. e., Kopaņa. Like many an ardent aspirant of the faith, he appears to have migrated to this town to spend his last days here; because, this place was esteemed as one of the most sacred centres of Jaina religion, and there prevailed the belief that one would attain emancipation from all worldly bouds by laying down one's physical sheath here.
This inscription has been subsequently published by the Archaeological Department, Hyderabad. Since some of the main points in the record have not been properly dealt with in that publication, it would be worth while to discuss them here. Firstly, the last part of the third line of the epigraph has been read in that publication as, ürggan = tirtthakkam = upakūrigaļāgi. This has been interpreted as “having become a benefactor of the village and the holy spot. This reading of the text cannot be justified even according to the touched up photograph of the record published therein. So my reading runs thus; ürggan = tirthakad = upakārigaļāri. This may be rendered as 'having obliged the people of the town by imparting the holy doctrine'. Tirtha or Tirthaka here means the holy doctrine.' This interpretation, furthermore, is supported by the last verse which stresses the characteristic merit of the teacher by saying that he was engaged in preaching the holy doctrine incessantly. The former reading purports to make a distinction between ur
1 2
Ind. Ant., Vol. VI, p. 103; Ep. Carn, Vol., Coorg Inscriptions, No. 2. Hyderabad Archaeological Series, No. 12; Inscription No. 2.