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Repetition in Jaina narrative literature
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serial number of the respective grha (in square brackets), additional indication of quantity (black panel), name(s) of the mahāpuruşa(s) within each unit (for the full names refer to von Glasenapp's Jainismus, p. 261), and number(s) of the mahāpurusa(s) in the respective series.
Mahāpuruṣas who were contemporaries (same «grha » in fig. 8) have been treated together by Hemacandra: their biographies form one biographical unit, the connection being close in some cases and loose in others. As a consequence the number of units should be identical with the number of grhas (our square brackets). But in two cases (grhas 25 and 27), Hemacandra has used two separate sargas for two different mahāpurusas (Munisuvrata/Mahāpadma, Nami/Harişeņa) without, however, sacrificing the synchronism which is expressly mentioned. We have in both cases used double-columns for the grhas.
In a complete version of the UH as supplied by Hemacandra, repetition is more pronounced than in other versions. We are virtually given 24 Jina-biographies: not only fillers (most of which change from one Jina to the next), but continuous text. Thus the same skeleton occurs over and over again. In particular, the same standard episodes appear in all the 24 biographies. Hem. could have reduced the episodes in 2-24 to a minimum (mere mention = one verse or less than one verse; or, rigid condensation = three to four verses). It would, however, appear that Hemacandra had made it a point to create a work of extraordinary size. And this had to be achieved on the foundations of tradition rather than by the inclusion of new narrative material. His main strategies for extending the size were apparently the standard episodes and the stotras.
Below we give the extent of the samavasarana descriptions (one of the more important « standard episodes ») as found in the 24 Jina-biographies of the Trisastiśalākāpuruşacaritra and also in the BharataRsabha-biography of Hemacandra's own commentary on his Yogaśāstra. « Samavasarana » stands for three items: description of the architectural scheme, entering of the Jina, entering of the congregation. These are the figures: *Jina no. 1: 55, 34
13: M , 4 2: 28
14: M, 4 3: 21
15: M, 4 4: 5
16: 12 17:
18: 7: 8
19: 4 8: 5
20: 3 9: 3
21: 4 10: 4
22: 5 11: M, 23 23: 6 12: M, 4 24: M, 6
Total: 259
5: 6:
33 own oo ni wa
an Aw Awar33
