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INTRODUCTION
THE DATE OF THE POET
Some scholars who have edited the works of Acarya Virasena and Acarya Jinasena have tried to ascertiain the dates of both the Acaryas. These scholars seem to have attached imporatance to the views propounded by historians. My line of thinking being somewhat different from that of those scholars, the conclusion arrived at by me does not coincide with those of them. In the following lines, I have made my mind to throw light upon my arguments which help me to determine the date of Acarya Jinasena and also of his preceptor.
Being helpful to us to determine the date of Acarya Jinasena, I think it necessary to give the information about the life of Puspadanta, the great poet who wrote Mahapurāņu in Apabhramsa language. Mahapurāņu, Nayakumaracariu and Jasaharacariu are the three works written by Puspadanta. In the Mahapurāņu Bharata, who served under Kṛṣṇaraja and his son as minister general and in the Nayakumaracariu and the Jasaharacariu Nanna, the son of Bharat, are glorified by the great poet. King Kṛṣṇaraja resided in the city of Manyakheta, his capital. Being ministers of Kṛṣṇaraja and his son, Bharata and his son Nanna also resided there. It will be seen later on who this king Kṛṣṇarāja was. Both Bharata, the noble and his noble son, Nanna, are described by Puspadanta as his patrons. Bharata is described as having been the commander of the army of king Vallabha in the stanza -
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