Life of Hemchandracharya

Author(s): Manilal Patel
Publisher: Singhi Jain Shastra Shiksha Pith Mumbai

Page 34

CHAPTER III.-HEMACANDRA AND JAYASINHA-SIDDHARĀJA 16 Jayasimha's endeavours to learn the tenets of various sccts. Possibly Hemacandra might have also been helped by his connection with Udayana, who had great influence. It will also be later on seen that even Udayana's sons stood in very intimate relationship to Hemacandra. This help was quite natural and to be expected because Udayana had taken the boy Cāngadeva under his care. Hemacandra's former acquaintance with Jayasimha was probably not very intimate, for, the oldest source, as we have already noted, has nothing to say about it, while the stories of Jinamandana deserve no credence.
On the other hand, by reason of his benedictions at the king's procession, Hemacandra appears to have won a lasting influence. He became, first of all, Court-Pandit and then Court-Annalist. In the first position, he was entrusted by Jayasimha with the preparation of a new grammar. In the Prabhāvakacaritra, further circumstances which induced the king to take this step, have been described as follows. Sometime after his triumphal entrance into the city, the manuscripts captured in Ujjain were exbibited to Jayasimha himself and the scholars of his court. He was attracted by one treatise on grammar that was among them. He questioned what that work was and in reply he was told that it was a work on etymology, compiled by the Paramāra king Bhoja; and the extensive literary activity of that poly-historian who had written works on all branches of learning, was highly praised. The praise kindled Jayaşimha's jealousy and he expressed his regret that his treasury had no such series of manuals written in his kingdom. Thereupon all the scholars assembled there turned their faces towards Hemacandra, suggesting thereby that they considered him worthy of becoming the Bhoja of Gujarat. The king espoused their opinion and requested Hemacandra to prepare a new grammar, as the then available grammars, being too short or too difficult and antiquated, did not serve their purpose. Hemacandra expressed his willingness to accede to his lord's wish; he begged however for his help in securing the necessary materials, such as the eight older grammars which were to be found in their entirety only in the library of the Temple of Sarasvati in Kashmir. Jayasimha at once sent hiyh officials to Pravarapura to fetch the MSS. The officials put up in the temple of the deity and laid their petition. Pleased with their songs of praise, there appeared Sarasvati to them and ordered the librarian to send the desired works to her favourite Hemacandra. Her command was carried out and the scholar Utsāha returned to Aņhilvād with the books. The ambassadors, on their return, described to the king how highly his protégé stood in favour of the goddess. The king considered his land fortunate in having such a man. Hemacandra looked through the MSS. brought to him and compiled his grammar in eight Adhyāyas and thirty-two Padas; and in homage to the king he entitled it Siddhahemacandra, "compiled by Hemacandra and dedicated to Siddharāja". As the custom required, the work consisted of five parts, the Aphorisms, the Indexes of the Words formed with uņādi suffixes, a Root-lexicon, a Treatise on the Rules of Gender, and a Running Commentary. Hemacandra furthermore added two more lexica, the Nāmamālā and the Anekārthakosa. In order to characterise the Grammar as a court-work, the author adorned it with a pras'asti, a poem of praise, in 35 stanzas in honour of the Caulukya dynasty from Mülarāja down to Jayasimha. One stanza at the end of every pada and four stanzas at the end of the whole work were given. On its completion, the grammar was read before the court and was accepted by the scholars as a model work because of its clarity and precision. The king then summoned