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INTRODUCTION
and other great men of the faith; in other terms, the katha literature; (ii) Karapanuyoga, description of the geography of the universe; (iii) Carapānuyoga, rules of conduct for monks and laymen; and (iv) Dravyanuyoga, philosophical categories or philosophy. According to this classification works like the present text fall under the category of Prathamănuyoga.
The Mahapurana is a term peculiar to the Jain literature and means a great narrative of the ancient times. There are puranas or old tales in the Jain Literature, but they narrate the life of a single individual or holy person. The Mahāpurana, on the other hand, describes the lives of sixty-three prominent men of the Jain faith. Jinasena uses the term Mahāpurana as a synonym for Trişaştilakṣana, while Hemacandra calls his work on the theme as Trişaştisalakāpuruşacarita, i. e., the lives of sixty-three promiment men (Salākāpurusa). Puspadanta uses the term Mahapurana to alternate with Tisatthimahāpurisagupalamkara, Adoration of the Virtues or qualities of Sixty-three Great Men. The term purana is defined in the Hindu Literature as follows:
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सर्गश्च प्रतिसर्गश्च वंशो मन्वन्तराणि च । वंशानुचरितं चैव पुराणं पञ्चलक्षणम् ॥
The purapa deals with the five topics, viz., the creation, the dissolution or secondary creation, dynastics, epochs between the Manus and the history of the dynasties. This definition is applicable to our Mahapurapa as well; for we do find the five topics mentioned above in our work. Still it is interesting to see how the Jains themselves interpret the term. Jinasena who is a predecessor
of Puspadanta in the writing of a Mahapurana says:
तीर्थेशामपि चक्रेशां हलिनामर्धचक्रिणाम् । frafewart gerei oeferaft 11 पुरातनं पुराणं स्यात्तन्महन्महृदाश्रयात् । मद्भिरुपदिष्टत्वान्महाश्रेयोनुशासनात् ॥ कवि पुराणमाश्रित्य प्रसृतत्वात्पुराणता । महत्त्वं स्वमहिम्नैव तस्येत्यन्यैनिरुच्यते ॥
महापुरुषसंबन्धि महाभ्युदयशासनम्
महापुराणमाम्नातमत एतन्महर्षिभिः ।। 1. 20-23.
"I shall recite the narrative of sixty-three ancient persons, i. e, of the Tīrthamkaras, of the Cakravartins, of Baladevas, of half-Cakravartins (i. e. Vasudevas) and of their opponents (i. e., of Prati-Vasudevas). The work is called 'purapa' because it is a narrative of the ancients. It is called 'great' because it relates to the great (Persons), or because it is narrated by the [x]
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