Parshvabhyuday

Author(s): Jinsenacharya, M G Kothari
Publisher: Gulabchand Hirachand Doshi

Page 24

(19)
Acārya Jinasena, the author of the Parśvābhyudaya, had spread very widely. This fame might have required about 25 years for its spread. I, therefore, hold that up to the year 669 of the Śālivāhana Śaka era i. e. 747 A. D. the manuscripts of the Pārśvābhyudaya might have been circulated widely among scholars of the then period. The circulation of the work might have been completed before that period even. This is how, the date of Parśvābhyudaya goes back to the period prior to that of the year 705 of the Śālivahana saka era by at least 36 years. I, therefore, think that the date to be assigned to Acarya Jinasena, the author of the present work, deserves to be pushed back at least to the middle of the seventh century of the Salivahana Śaka era.
It has been shown before that Puspadanta, the great poet, belonged to the period prior to that of Acarya Jinasena, the author of the Harivamśapurāṇa and that poet is found to have referred to the Dhavala and the Jayadhavalā. Ācārya Vrrasenal and his desciple, therefore, must have belonged to the period prior to that of Puspadanta.
The text of the Prasasti of the Dhavala being corrupt, it itself does not help us to determine the date of the completion of the Dhavala commentary. Yet with the help of the date of the completion of the Jayadhavalā, one can come to some conclusion regarding the date of the completion of the Dhavala. The Jayadhavala, according to its Prasasti, was completed in the year 759. We know that one-third of the Jayadhavala commentary was written by Acarya Virasena himself and the remaining two-third portion was written by Acarya Jinasena. The whole work of the Jayadhavalā commentary must have required a big period to be spent on it. Moreover, Acarya Virasena being the preceptor and an old contemporary of Acarya Jinasena, the date of the completion of the Dhavala commentary must be pushed