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84
Paramatma-Prakasa
our author. Jayasena belonged to c. second half of the 12th century A.D.1 So Brahmadeva is later than 12th century. To conclude from these external and internal evidences, Brahmadeva is later than Somadeva (959 A D.), king Bhoja of Dhară (A.D. 1018-60) and Jayasena (c. 12th century). So Brahmadeva? might be tentatively put in the 13th century A.D.3
3. Maladhāre Bālacandra and his Kannada Commentary
Extract from the Commentary and its Authorship-The Ms. P, which is described below in Section IV, contains an exhaustive commentary in Kannada on the dohās of P. prakasa. I give below the opening portion of the commentary with some corrections :
nirupamacaritanavyaya-narujananddyamtanamalandtmasukha-
karanadvaitanaghakşaya-karanarhar nelasugěnna hytsarasijado! ! ! fri Yoginndra-dévar madida Paramåtmaprakasam črba dohe cchandada granthakke Srl Brahmadiyar madida Sanskrtada vtriyath nodiyapratibuddha-bðdhandriham Karnata-vittiyam pelvé, gramtha-kartäram gramihada modalðļu işadèyatdnamaskaramam maduttam ömdu ddheya sdtramam peldaparu 'n jaya jhanaggiyae' etc. The concluding portion runs thus : sõ' hamimdimtu jagattraya kalatrayadoļu kaya yan-mana-karanatraya-suddhiyim niscaya nayadimdella jivamgaļumimtu niramtaram bhavandyam madi padaüděmbudu dri Yögimdradevarabhiprdyam |$ri Kurkkuțasana4 Maladhare Balacandradêya sthtram jiyat | From these extracts it is clear that this Kannada commentary is mainly based on Brahmadeva's Vịtti, that there is sufficient reason to believe that Bālacandra is its author, and that he styles himself as Kukkuțāsana Maladhāre perhaps to distinguish himself from earlier and contemporary Bālacandras.
Comparison with Brahmadeva's Commentary-Balacandra plainly tells us that he composed this gloss to enlighten the unenlightened by consulting Brahmadeva's commentary. This frank admission shows that he has
1 See my Intro. to Pravacanasära, pp. 101-4. 2 One Brahmadeva of Mūlasangha and Sūrastagana is mentioned in an inscription of
1142 A.D. (Epigraphia Carnatica IV, Nagamangala 94). There is no sufficient evidence to identify this Brahmadeva with our commentator. The same name is often borne
by many Jaina authors and monks, 3 In his commentary on Dravya samgraha 49, Brahmadeva refers to a Pancanamaskara
grantha, of 12 thousand slõkas. I have not got any information about this work. Javaharlal, however, reads the name as Pancanamaskara Mahaimya; he attributes its authorship to Simhanandi, a Bhattaraka of Malava country; and he takes this Simhanandi as the one who was a contemporary of Srutasågara c. at the close of 15th century A.D. On the basis of this line of arguments Javaharlal puts Brahma. deva at the close of the 15th century AD. (or in his own words about the middle of the 16th century Vikram era). This date is now invalidated by the fact that the Jesalmere Ms. of Dravyasamgraha-vịtti of Brahmadēva is written in 1428 A.D. Javaharlal gives no authorities for some of his facts; and I think, there must have been
some confusion in handling ther. 4 Ms. reads Kurkkuțašana.
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