Book Title: Life of Hemchandracharya
Author(s): Manilal Patel
Publisher: Singhi Jain Shastra Shiksha Pith Mumbai

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Page 111
________________ 92 1874176, pp. 6.f., and the List of the Elphinstone College Collection 1866/68 under Kosha. There is & copy of the Nighantus'eßa, dhānyakānda, in the Deccan College Collection 1875/77, No. 735. 75. The verses, in which Kumārapāla is named, are found in Pischel's edition (Bombay Sanskrit Series No. XVII ) I, 97, 107, 116, 127; II, 39, 90; III, 46; IV, 16; VI, 10, 19, 26; VII, 7, 18, 40, 53. Those addressed to Culukka or Cālukka are:- I, 66, 84; II, 30; VI, 5, 7, 15, 17, 111; VIII, 51. We may also remark that Jayasimha-Siddharāja is named in one single verse II, 4, and that his victory over Barbaraka is mentioned. The verse IV, 32, perhaps refers to the same king:"O earthly tree of Paradise , O thou, whose strong arm is like unto a tree, the gutters of the houses in Paitthāṇa are filled with the sap of the strength of thy elephants." Bhāndārkar has recently discovered fragments of a historical work, which speaks of a conquest of Pratisthāna-Paithan by Jayasimha, see Report on the Search for Sanskrit Manuscripts of 1883-84, p. 10. It is also possible that Hála-Sätavāhana is meant by the "earthly tree of Paradise", as his name also occurs otherwise in the Des'ināmamālo. 76. Prabandhacintamani, pp. 225-226, relates, that Kumārapala was guilty of a linguistic solecism, when he used the word aupamya instead of upamā or aupamyan. Then, we are told, he studied the S'astras beginning with the mātrkāpātha with some Pandit or other. In one year he absolved three Kāvyas with the Commentaries, and then received the title of honour Vicāracaturmukha. The same story occurs in the Kumārapālacarita, p. 105, where Hemacandra is mentioned as the teacher. 77. An interesting proof of the significance of Jainism in Anhilvād before Hemacandra's time is furnished by the discovery of the drama Karnasundart, which was rocently published by Pandit Durgaprasäda in the Bombay Kavyomäla. The piece was written by the famous poet Bilhana, and was intended to be acted in the temple of S'antināth at the feast of Nābheya, which was instituted by the minister Sampatkara Sāintu?). The first verse of the Nändi, an imitation of the beginning of the Nāgānanda, is therefore addressed to the Jina. The hero, as stated by the poet in Act I, verse 10 himself, is the son of Bhimadeva, i. e. king Karna, who reigned from V. S. 1120 to 1150. Other evidence of the influence of the Jainas at the court of Anhilvād may be found in the Pras'astis of the old MSS. where many Jainas are mentioned as occupying official positions under the first Caulukyas, especially in the department of finance. 78. The story is found in Kumārapālacarita, pp. 137 ff., and its contents are as follows:When Kumāra pāla was inclined towards Jainism, the Brahmins called in Rājācārya Devabodhi. This was a great Yogi, who had made the goddess Bhārati submissive to him, and was acquainted with sorcery and knew the past and the future. After the king had heard that Devabodhi had come into the neighbourhood of Anhilvāda, he received him with great honour, and led him to his palace. The greater part of the day passed in ceremonies of reception. In the afternoon the king worshipped a picture of S'āntinātha in the presence of the whole court. Then Devabodhi admonished him to desist from the Jaina faith. When Kumāra pāla praised the latter on account of the Ahimsă doctrine and blamed the S'rauta' Dharma on account of the Himsā, Devabodhi caused the gods Brahman, Visņu and S'iva, as well as the seven Caulukya-princas-Mülarāja and his successors-to appear; and they of course spoke in favour of the religion of the Vedas. On the following morning Hemacandra considerably outdid Devabodhi's feats. At first he caused his seat to be pulled away, and then executed the trick which was supposed to be a great favourite amongst the Yogis, namely, that of holding himself up in mid-air. Then he caused the entire Olympus of the Jainas to appear before the king, together with all the king's ancestors, who worshipped the Jinas. Finally he explained that the apparitions were only an illusion, just as those produced by Devabodhi had been. Only that which Somanātha had told the king in the temple of Devapattana was the truth. This of course assured his victory. Regarding Davabodhi, who was probably a historical personage, see also above, page 20. Jain Education International For Private & Personal Use Only www.jainelibrary.org

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