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INTRODUCTION.
आशावर्तिषु मण्डलेषु विपुलेष्वष्टादशस्वाद रा
दब्दान्येव चतुर्दश प्रहृमरी मारीं निवार्योजसा । कीर्तिस्तम्भनिभांश्चतुर्दशशती संख्याविहार स्तिथा कृत्या निर्मितवान् कुमारनृपतिर्जेनो निजैनोव्ययम् ॥
The present work the Moharâjaparajaya or the Over-coming of King Moha is a drama in five acts describing the conversion of Kumarapala, the Chaulukya king of Gujarat to Jainism, his prohibition of injury to animals and the stopping of the old practice of confiscating the properties of those dying heirless, through the religious instructions of the great Hemachandra.
The form of the play-The play is allegorical and resembles in subject-matter and treatment the Christian plays of medieval Europe. The Sanskrta literature, too, has got such other plays, the most well-known of which is the Prabodhachandrodaya of Krshnamiśra composed in the reign of Kirtivarmadeva, the Chandel king, about 1065 A. D. i. e. about a century earlier than the present drama, All the dramatis persone except the king, his jester and Hemachandra are abstract qualities good as well as evil. Such personification of abstract qualities is familiar to the readers of the "Pilgrim's Progress."
The author and the date of the composition of the dramaThe author of the drama is Yasahpâla, son of Dhanadeva and Rkmint of the Modha Bania caste. His father Dhanadeva is styled as Mantrin and the author describes himself as a swan in the lotus-feet of Chakravarti Ajayadeva.
Chakravarti Ajayadeva is the same as Ajayapâla, the successor of king Kumarapala, who is also styled as Chakravarti on page 16 of the present work. The Gurjara kings Siddharaja and Bhimadeva II also assumed the title of Chakravartin. Ajayadeva reigned from A.D. 1229 to 1232. The date of the composition of the drama should be, thus, put between these years. The drama was first acted on the occasion of the festival of the idol of God Mahavira of the Kumaravihara (the temple erected by Kumarapala) at Thârâpadra (the modern Tharád in the Pálanpur Agency) of which place the author would appear to be a governor or resident.
The analysis of the play-The play begins with a salutation to the three Tirthankaras-Rshabha, Pârśva and Mahavira. Then follows the usual
Other works of this type are:-(1) Prabodhachandrodaya, (2) Sankalpasryodaya by Venkatanátha, (8) Mayavijaya by Anant Narayana Süri, (4) Janasarryodaya by Vidichandra, (5) Juânschandrodays by Padmasundara, (6) Chaitanyachan drodaya by Kavi Karnapura.
"Aho Shrutgyanam"
