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POPULARITY OF THE HERO
5. Popularity of the hero
Nāgakum ra is recognised by the Jains as one of the twenty-four Kamadevas, i. e. the most beautiful persons that ever lived. Our author has, therefore, called him by all the different names of Cupid, such as Kama, Madana, Ananga, Jhasaketu and the like. He is said to have attained his personal charms and heroism by observing the fast of SriPañcami in his previous birth. It is no wonder, then, that various authors tried to write the account of his life in different languages at different times. Besides the present work, I have been able to discover the following authors and works or their mention in the works of others.
1. Tribhuvana Svayambhu wrote Pancamicariam. so far been discovered, but the mention of it is found in the Paumacariu of Svayambhu -- तिहुयणसयंभुरइयं पंचमिचरियं महच्छरियं. same work that Svayambhu left his work incomplete and it was completed by his son Tribhuvana Svayambhu. As Puspadanta has mentioned Svayambhu in his Mahapuraṇa, this work seems to have preceded the present work, though, in that case, it seems rather strange that no mention of it is found here. This work also seems to have been written in Apabhramsa.
2. Jayadeva wrote the life of Nagakumara as we know from the mention of Mallisena (see below).
3. Mallisena wrote Nagakumaracarita in five cantos. The author, who styles himself as Ubhayabhāṣā-cakravarti, says that he has rendered in Sanskrit verses what Jayadeva and others wrote in prose and verse. The beginning of the work is
श्रीनेमिं जिनमानम्य सर्वसत्त्वहितप्रदम् । वक्ष्ये नागकुमारस्य चरितं दुरितापहम् ॥ १ ॥ कविभिर्जयदेवाद्यैर्गद्यैः पद्यैर्विनिर्मितम् । यत्तदेवास्ति चेदत्र विषमं मंदमेधसाम् ॥ २ ॥
प्रसिद्धसंस्कृतैर्वाक्य र्विद्वज्जनमनोहरम् । तन्मया पद्यबन्धेन मल्लिषेणेन रच्यते ॥ ३ ॥
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Other works attributed to this author are Padmavatikalpa', Brahmavidya and Adipurana (JG 216; JSA 381-384). The author is probably identical with the ascetic commemorated by the Mallisena Prasasti at Sravana Belgola (ISB 67; JSIS 54). There are several MSS. of this work at Karanja (CP Cat.) and elsewhere. It has been noticed in the MAR. 1924. The story in this work is in substantial agreement with that of our work
This work has not introductory part of We are told in the
4. Dharasena wrote Nagakumaracarita in Sanskrit verse in eight cantos. The Karanja MS. of this work is slightly incomplete going upto 164th verse of canto 8th. But other complete MSS are also known to exist.
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