Mallikamakarandanatakam

Author(s): Ramchandra Mahakavi, Punyavijay
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

Page 12

INTRODUCTION
Rāmacandra : His Life, Date and Works!
Ramacandra was the chief disciple of the great Ācārya Hemacandra (A.D. 1089-1173). He takes pride in mentioning this fact in the prologues of some of his plays.2 The title "Kavikațāramalla' was conferred on him by Siddharāja Jayasimba for his power of composing poems speedily or quickly. He had, it is said, lost one eye, although its precise cause is not known. He was a devout votary of Jainism, a fact attested to by the number of 'strotras' he wrote in praise of the Jinas. He was fearless. In spite of the orders of King Ajayapāla he refused to impart knowledge to his fellow-student Balacandra whom he considered to be an unworthy pupil His works bear testimony to his love of freedom here on earth and ardent desire for freedom from the cycle of birth and death.3
Although he was a 'muni', whose chief essence is pragama (quietitude) he had a keen aesthetic scnse, he was a lover of literature, seientific as well as artistic. It appears from his stout defence of writing plays that he was severely criticised by his contemporary critics for writing plays treating of love, laughter, heroism, etc. 4. It also appears that he was charged of plagiarism in his own days by his spiteful critics whom be effectively replies to and silences. 5 He was a very learned monk as he was proficient 1 For a detailed account vide (i) L.B. Gandhi's Introduction in Sanskrit, pp. 22-39)
to Nalavilāsa, pub. in GOS as No XXIX, Farola, 1926 and (ii) the Nātyadarpaņa of Rāmacandra and Guņacandra : A Critical Study (pp. 209-237) by Dr, K. H.
Trivedi, pub. in L. D. Series as No. 9, Ahmedabad, 1966. 2 Vide Prologues to Nalavilāsa, Kaumudimitrānanda and Mallika-Makaranda. 3 Svātantryam yadi Jivitāvadhi mudhā svarbhūrbhuvo vaibhavam - Nalavilāsa 1.2.c Sūktayo Ramacandra sya---svātantryam..Harşavr(sr)stayaḥ -Satyabariscandra 1.5
---Nirbhayabhima [-2. And, concluding benedictions in his various plays नटः -( सावज्ञम् ) भाव, प्रशमरसिकवैदुष्येण धर्मदेशनाविधानैकप्रगल्भवाचो वाचंयमाः शृड्.
गार हास्य-वीर-प्रमुखरसमयानामनः खलु नाट्यप्रबन्धानाम् । सूत्रधारः-मार्ष सांप्रत ग्रामीणचातुरीवन्ध्यमभिदधासि ।
शमस्तत्त्व मुनीन्द्राणां जानते तु जगन्त्यपि ।
Ja fafa aaai faget yasafi Il-Mallika-Makaranda, I. 5 Vide : q2: (CTA) 1a,
परोपनीतशब्दार्थाः स्वनाम्ना कृतकीर्तयः । निबद्धारोऽधुना तेन विश्रम्भस्तेषु क: सताम् ॥