Book Title: Medieval Jainism
Author(s): Bhasker Anand Saletore
Publisher: Karnataka Publishing House

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Page 281
________________ 266 MEDIÆVAL JAINISM Not only men but Jaina women, too, have added to Kannada literature. The greatest name among them was Kanti who, along with Abhinava Pampa, was one of the gems that adorned the court of the Hoysala king Ballāļa I (A.D. 1100A.D. 1106). She was a redoubtable orator and a poet who completed the unfinished poems of Abhinava Pampa in the open court of that ruler.? None among the Jaina authors has made himself so endearing to the Kannadigas as Āņdayya (circa A.D. 1235), whose exquisite Kabbigarakāva is a triumph of Jaina ideas of purism in Kannada.? Lest it may be supposed that Kannada Jainas were given only to writing on purely literary matters, we shall give some examples of Jaina authors who have left useful works in other departments of thought. Indeed, there were few subjects of practical importance which the Jainas of Karnataka did not tackle. In the field of grammar, mathematics, astrology, and medicine, we have valuable works written by them. Of Pujyapāda's great work in grammar mention has already been made. Towards the middle of the twelfth century A.D. lived Nāgavarmā (II), who wrote the three well known works on Kannada grammar- Kavyāvalokana, Karnāțakabhāṣābhuşaņa, and Vastukośa.3 In about A.D. 1260 appeared Keśirāja with his sabdamanidar pana in Kannada. On mathematics we have Rājāditya's V yavahāragaạita, Kșetraganita, Lilāvati. Vyavahāraratna, Citrahasuge, Jainagaạitasūtraţikodāharana, and other works. As we narrated while dealing with the 1. Read Kavicarite, I. pp. 110-11 for details about her life. 2. Ibid, I, pp. 367-368. 3. Ibid, I. pp. 144-9. 4. Ibid, I. pp. 386-7. 5. Ibid, I. pp. 122-3.

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