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Introduction
I. Paramatma-Prakasa
a) Earlier studies and the present edition Popularity of Paramatma-prakasa-Paramappapayasu, or as it is usually known by the Sk. form of its name, Poramātma-prakāša, is a very popular work with religious-minded Jainas, both monks and laymen. It is mainly addressed to the monks, and it is no wonder that it is read and re-read by them. The discussions are not at all sectarian; so it is studied by all the Jaina monks, though it is more popular with those of the Digambara section. Various reasons have contributed to the popularity of this work. There is an attraction about its name itself; the subject-matter is not made heavy with technicalities; major portions of it are composed in a simple style; and it is written in a popular dialect like Apabhramśa, the predecessor of Old-Hindi, Old-Gujarati, etc. It is addressed to console and enlighten the suffering soul of Bhatta Prabhakara. The problem of the misery of life, which was before Bhatta Prabhākara. faces many aspiring souls; and as such P.-- Prakāśa is sure to be a favourite book with believers. Old commentaries in Kannada and Sanskrit also point out to its popularity.
My Study of Yogendu's Works-After discovering a new Apabh. work, viz., Dohäpähuda attributed by the Ms. to Yogendra, I wrote a short article in Anekanta, Vol. I, 1930. In an editorial note on this article the learned editor Pt. Jugalkishore announced the discovery of another work of this author and further indicated that Rāmasimha was the author of Dhäpähuda according to a Delhi Ms. Later, I contributed a paper, Joindu and his Apabhramsa works, to the Annals in which I took a review of the works of Joindu or Yogindu and collected some evidence on his date2. The publication of this paper was sufficiently fruitful. Two works, viz., Dõhāpāhuda and Sāvayadhamma-dōhā from which lengthy extracts were given in my paper, are edited now with the help of additional material and translated into Hindi by Professor Hiralal who is doing so much for the publication of Apabh literature. A few verses from my paper have been translated into Marāthi as well.3
1 2 3
Anekanta. Vol. I, pp. 544-8 and p. 672. Annals of the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, Vol. XII, ii, pp. 132-63. P. D. Kanitkar : Maharastra-Sahitya-patrikā.
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