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78
Paramātma-Prakāša
Earlier Limit-It is shown above how Joindu inherits much from Mökkhapähuda of Kundakunda and how he closely follows Samadhi-dataka of Pujyapāda. P-prakása, in fact, is a popular elaboration of some of the fundamental ideas of Samadhi-sataka. Kundakunda belonged c. to the beginning of the Christian era, and Pūjyapāda lived a bit earlier than the last quarter of the 5th century AD.
Conclusion—In the light of the above discussion I tentatively put P.-prakasa between Samadhi-sataka and Praksta Lakşana;2 and in all probability Joindu flourished in the 6th century A.D.
III. Commentaries on P.-prakasa
1. A Kannada Gloss (k-gloss) op P.-prakasa Balacandra's Commentary and the Kannada Gloss in Ms. K.-It is reported 3 that (Adhyātmi) Bālacandra (c. beginning of the 13th century A.D.), who has written Kannada commentaries on the three works of Kundakunda, 4 has commented in Kannada on P.-prakasa as well. The Ms. K, described below, contains a Kannaga commentary on P.-prakasa; but one is not in a position to say whether it is the same as that of Bālacandra, because the Ms. K supplies no information and Mm. R. Narasimhacharya has not given any extracts with which the commentary in K could have been compared.
Nature of this Kannada Gloss-The Kannada gloss in Ms. K to be called K-gloss hereafter) is a very modest attempt to explain in Kannada the dohās of P-prakaša. Throughout the commentary, so far as I have read it here and there, no Sanskrit equivalents of Apabh. forms are given; but the author takes the Apabh. forms one after the other as Kannada syntax would need, and gives their meaning in Kannada. Some of the interpretations show the linguistic insight of the commentator who is very well grounded in the technicalities of Jaina philosophy. I have come across certain words
1 See pp. 32-3 above. 2 Mr. M. C. Modi, in his notes (pp. 76-9) on selections from P.-prakåsa in Apabhra
msa Pathāvali (Ahmedabad 1935) refers to my paper on Jõindu in the Annals and remarks that Jöïndu can be placed before Hēmacandra but it is not correct to put him earlier than 10th or 11th century of Vikrama era. The way of putting his conclusions reminds me of a statement of Max Muller, 'Chronology is not a matter of taste that can be settled by mere impressions'. An argument based on a word or so is not conclusive. Taking into consideration the nature of Apabh. phonology annu and anu can never be chronologicl stages. About javala, the meaning sami pē though given by Brahmadžva, does not suit the context as I have shown above. It is to be derived from Sk. yamala, pair; and the word jamala occurs even in the Ardha-mågadni Canon. The weakening of m into v is quite usual in Apabh. The
Marathi meaning is a secondary one. 3 R Narasimhacharya : Karnataka Kavicharite, Vol. I, Revised Ed., p. 253. 4 A. N. Upadhye : Pravacanasara (RJS) Intro. pp. 104-8.
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