Jinamanjari 2000 04 No 21

Author(s): Jinamanjari
Publisher: Canada Bramhi Jain Society Publication

Page 16

Jinasena-II were the leading disciples at the Vātgram University. The launching of this voluminous commentary of 72,000 verses on the Şaskhandāgama took place during the reign of Jagattunga-Govinda-III. Under Virasena the work was completed by only 20,000 verses, but it did cover an important section of the vast lore of Jaina scripture. As Virasena had commenced it during the times of Govinda-III, who had the title of Tribhuvana-Dhavala, he christened the work as Dhavala.
The period of Amõghavarsa is considered as the Augustan age of Jaina literature. Mahavirācārya, a skilled mathematician and court-poet states in his Gaạita-sāra-samgraha that the subjects under the rule of Amõghavarśa were happy and the land yielded plenty of grain, 'may the kingdom of Amoghavarsa, the follower of Jainism', ever increase far and wide.
Jinasena-I belonged to Punnāta-sangha, an ancient Jaina congregation in Karnataka. He wrote his epic Harivamsa-purāņa and completed it in C. E.. 784. It is one of the early Jaina creative works in Sanskrit that inspired the later Jaina writers to compose in Sanskrit, in addition to Prākrit.
Jinasena-II, versatile in Prākrit and Sanskrit, and scholar pupil of Virasena, and a grand disciple of Āryanandi, wrote Pārsvābhyudaya-kavya, much earlier in C. E.. 782. He continued the commentary on the Șatkhandāgama which his teacher Virasena had it left incomplete. He completed it in C. E. . 837-38 composing 40,000 verses to Viraasena's 20,000 verses. He named it JayaDhavaļa after his royal disciple Nypatunga Āmoghavarşa who had the title of Atisaya-Dhauala.
By far the most widely and the most influential of his works is Adipurāņa. Dexterous Jinasena started composing Adipurāņa, but when the work had progressed to 10,380 verses, he passed away.
Ācārya Guņabhadra, poet-scholar and pupil of Jinasena-II, continued, in all earnestness, the incomplete work of Adipurāņa. He composed 1,620 slökas to the first part - known as Purvapurāņa - of Ādipurāņa. The combined verses of the two parts is called Mahāpurāņa. Guņabhadra composed another 9,500 verses to the second part of Mahāpurāņa and called it as Uttarapurāņa Thus, Mahāpurāņa containing 20,000 verses, is a significant Maha-kavya which has been the source for all Kannada Jaina Purāņas. The Ātāmanu-sāsana is another philosophical work of Guņabhadra, who was also a preceptor to Krsna-II, son of Amõghavarśa. Jinasena-II's greatest gifts were poetry and commentary in both of which he displayed such remarkable sensibility that makes it difficult to judge in which he excelled better.
Adipurāņa is relevant to contemporary times, steeped in material acquisitions and blind to the voice of the spirit.
Grammarian Pālyakirti Sākațāyana, also a court poet of Amõghavarsa, wrote his famous grammar sākatāyana along with auto commentary AmõghaVrtti, named after his king. This work is a vivid example of the Jaina school of grammar.
Srivijaya was another Jaina author and poet-laureate in the court of Amõghavarśa. At the instance of the king, he also composed Kavirājamārga, a treatise on Indian poetics, Srivijaya heralded a new era of practically opening the flood gate for a rich harvest of Kannada literature in all genre. In the context
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