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Introduction
29
that without real knowledge liberation cannot be attained, for the hand does not become oily, i.e., besmeared with butter, by churning water. The last simile is used by Basavannal also in a similar context.
Style of P.-prakasa-Barring the repetitions due to which this work, as an academic treatise, gives tiresome reading, it is composed uniformly in an easy and vivid style. In spite of the Jaina technicalities used here and there (especially II. 12-16, etc) there is a popular flavour about all his discussions. What strikes one is his earnest and spiritualistic enthusiasm and his sincere desire to help Bhatta Prabhākara, and consequently the readers of P.-prakasa in general, to get out of this Samsāra. Most of his utterances are of an objective nature, and as in the Vacanas of Basavanna2 and others we do not find here personal complaints and contemporary social and religious touches. At times but rarely Yogindu is obscure, and his statements require some additional words for a correct interpretation (I. 43, II 162, etc). Not very successfully he uses some words with double meaning to convey significant sense out of apparent contradiction (II. 44-46). Indeed P.-prakāša gives a refreshing freading for a believer; and that is why it has a strong hold on the minds of Jaina monks. Nowhere the author tries to parade his learning; and throughout the work he takes the reader into his confidence and sincerely preaches in a homely manner without much arguing. The writer, with a characteristic modesty, requests the reader not to mind his metrical and grammatical slips (II. 210-12).
Metres in P.-prakasa-A metrical analysis of 345 verses in Brahmadeva's recension shows that five are gāthās (1. 65*1, II. 60, 111*2, 111*3 and 117), one is a Sragdharā (II. 213), one is Malini (II. 214) and their dialect is not Apabh; one is a Catuspādikā (II. 174); and the remaining 337 verses are dohās. This name does not occur in P.-prakāša; but in Yogasära, the other work of Joindu, the word dohā is used twice (Nos. 3 & 107). Yögasara contains 104 dohās; two Soralhas (Nos. 38 & 44) and one Caupäi (No. 39). Both the lines of a dohā are of uniform constitution; each line is divided into two parts with a definite metrical pause interven1. Many of his Vacanas, generally addressed to his personal deity Küdala Sangama
deva, are included in Vacanaśāstrasára, vol. I, edited by F. G. Halakatti, Belgaum 1923. Recently a small book. Sayings of Basavanna, is published from Gadag; it contains the Kannada text of some selected sayings with an English rendering by M. V. Iyengar. The Vacana referred to above runs thus : "Chew the bamboo leaf; all you get is the chewing itself and no juice, Churn water, all you get is the churning and no butter. Spin sand, all you have is to spin merely; you get no rope. Bend to gods other than God Kudala Sangama; you have merely hurt your hand by pounding much bran". The simile of pounding bran is found also in
P-prakāša. II. 128 2. See Vacanašāstrasāra mentioned in the above note.
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