Karnamrut Prapa

Author(s): Jinvijay
Publisher: Rajasthan Prachyavidya Pratishthan Jodhpur

Page 6

FOREWORD
With the publication of Karnamṛtaprapa an interesting anthology from the pen of a remarkable poet of medieval Sanskrit literature is presented to the world of Sanskrit learning. Somes'vara or Somes'varadeva, as he prefers to call himself, was born in the family of the hereditary priests of the Calukya Kings of Gujarat ruling at Anahilvaḍ Patan. He was the royal priest of King Bhimadeva II and a close friend of Mahāmātya Vastupāla who was a great patron of literature and art and will be ever remembered along with his younger brother Tejapala as a builder of the famous Jaina temples on Mt. Abu. First half of the 13th century A.D. was the period of Somes'vara's active life.
Somes'vara attempted diverse forms of Sanskrit literature like Mahākāvya, Nāṭaka, Stotra, Anthology, and Prasastis of various temples built by Vastupala and also by King Viradhavala and his son Visaladeva. For an exhaustive account of the life and works of Somes'vara the curious reader is referred to Literary Circle of Mahamatya Vastupala and its Contribution to Sanskrit Literature (pp. 44-56, 88-94, 103-107, 112-118, 128-130, 136-138, 140-142) by Professor Bhogilal J. Sandesara, published in the Singhi Jaina Series as no. 33.
Out of the various works by Somes'vara, his two Mahakavyas-Kirtikaumudi describing the good deeds of Vastupala and Surathotsava, a mythological poem-were published in the Bombay Sanskrit Series and Kavyamālā Series respectively. His Ullagharaghava Naṭaka, dramatizing the story of the Ramayana, has been recently published in the Gaekwad Oriental Series and Ramasataka, a hymn to Kāma with two commentaries, is under print in the same series. Prasastis composed by Somes/vara are already published in various journals and then in collections of inscriptions like the Pracina Jaina Lekha Sangraha. The Karnämṛtaprapa, an anthology of verses, was the only work of Somes'vara which remained to be brought to light.
Anthologies may be the composition of one author on various topics or selection from earlier authors. The Karnamṛtaprapa belongs to the former class, as all the 217 verses in it are Somes'vara's own