Jinamanjari 2000 04 No 21

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

Page 18

governor of that province. It was at this time, Gunabhadra completed the last cantos of Maaapurāṇa. at Bankāpura in the year C. E. 897.
Jaina scholars continued to flourish in the Rastrakūta period. Manikyanandin composed Parikṣamukha on which a commentary called Prameya-kamalamartaṇḍa was written by Prabhācandra, who also wrote another commentary on Akalanka's Laghiya-straya, called Nyāyakumudi-Candrodaya. Later, Indranandi (C.E. 930) - preceptor of famous Kannada Poet Ponna (C. E. 965) - produced Samayabhuṣana, Śrtāvatāra, Nitisāra (which records some of the orthodox and heterodox Jaina schools and sects) and Jvälinikalpa.
During the reign of Krishna-III (C. E. 938-968), the last recognized emperor of the dynasty, Jainism reached greater heights expanding on all fronts. Somadevasuri was the distinguished scholar of the age. He was a monk disciple of Nemadeva of Deva-sangha, a cohort of Mulasangha, the original congregation. He composed Yasas-tilaka in C. E. 959-60, the date synchronizing with Krishna-III's victorious camp at Mēlpāți. Krishna repulsing the Pandyas, the Simhala, the Auca and the Cerama, had camped at Mēlpāți. Vāgarāja alias Baddega, elder son of Arikesari-II a Rāṣṭrakūta feudatory, and king of Vēmulavāḍa - a Calukya branch had patronized the Yasas-tilaka, unmatched classic of its type. It can be compared with the Kādambari or TilakManjari. Somadevasuri also authored another important work, Niti-Vākyāmṛta which is on par with Artha-sastra of Kautilya.
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Prakrit literature also flourished under the patronage of Rāṣṭrakūta monarchs. Svayambhu and his son Tribhuvana-Svayambhu composed major Prārit works. Akālavarṣa wrote two works - Pauma-Cariu (Sk. Padma-Carita) and Rittha-Nemi-Cariu (Harivamsa purāṇa), which he could write upto 82 chapters. Later, Tribhuvana-Svayambhu completed the remaining last eight chapters. Svayambhu-Candas, another work of Svayambhu, deals with various metres employed in Prakrit and Apabhramsa kavyas.
Mahākavi Puspadanta who flourished during the reign of Krishna-III has written three kavyas: Tisatthi-Mahāpurisa-Guṇālankāru (Sk. Triṣastimāhāpuruṣa-Guṇālańkāraha), Jasa-Hara-Cariu (Sk. Yasodhara-Carita) and Nagakumara-Cariu. The first one is an epic which deals with the lives of Tirthankaras, Cakravartis, Baladevas, Vasudeva and Prati-Vasudevas. Jasa-HaraCariu deals with most popular Jaina narrative theme of king Yasodhara and his queen Amrtamati. The last work extols the merit of Śruta-Pancami.
Nemicandra-Siddhanta-Cakravarti, abbot of Sravanabelagola monastery and preceptor of Camundaraya, gives the very quintessence of Jaina philosophy in Gommata-sara which contains two books, Jivakāṇḍa and Karmakaṇḍa. The work is based on both Şaṭkhandagama and its commentary, Dhavala. His other works, Dravya-sangraha deals with the jiva and ajiva concepts. The gahās (Sk. gathas) reflect an extraordinary grip over Prakrit language.
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During the Rāṣṭrakūta period Kannada language and literature received greater impetus. The earliest extant Kannada work, Ārādhanā-Karṇāṭa-Tikā, also known as Vaddārādhāne was authored by a great Jaina saint called Bhrājiṣṇu. (circa C. E. 800). It is a commentary on the Prakrit work Aradhana of saint scholar Śivakoti. Ārādhanā-Karṇāṭa-Tikā contains 19 short stories, each glorifying the virtues and special features of Jaina monkhood and nunhood.
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