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Rishibhashit : A Study
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The said comparative similarity leads to the inference that some Niryukti on Rishibhashit must have been written. The verses of this Niryukti must have been included in original or varied form, first in Isimandal and later in Rishimandal Prakaran (Isimanda/), believed to have been written by Dharmaghosh. The mention of majority of the Rishis of Rishibhasit in Rishimandal confirms the belief that even if the available edition of Isimandal is not accepted as the Niryukti of Rishibhashit or the Isimandalatthu mentioned in Acharanga-Churni, one thing is clear that it contains many verses of those works.
Today there are many works, available, having the name Rishimandal. Some of these are in Sanskrit and others in Prakrit. We get information about these from the catalogues of libraries of manuscripts in Khambhat, and Jaisalmer and also in the book-Jinaratna-Kosh. But in this analysis we are concerned with the Prakrit work Isimandal (Rishimandal) popularly supposed to have been written by Dharmaghosh-suri. Generally speaking the Rishimandal, written in Prakrit language, is belived to be a work by Dharmaghosh-suri belonging to the Tapagachhiya sect. His period is the early fourteenth century; but this has not been accepted conclusively. There are many reasons for this :
1. Khartargachha, Tapagachha, Achalgachha and Upkeshgachha all have Acharyas named Dharmagosh-suri in the chronoligical list of their Acharyas. In the last verse of Rishimandal only Siridhammaghosam' is mentioned. As such it is difficult to ascertain to what sub-sect (gachha) this Dharmaghosha belonged and what was his period.
2. in the collection of Jaisalmer and Khambhat, ancient manuscripts of Isimandal Prakaran are available. Of these, the oldest palm leave copy of Vritti of Rishimandal Prakaran is available in Jaisalmer. The date of transcribing of this copy is 1380 Vikram, so the period of writing should be still earlier. According to the Tapagachha list of Acharyas, the period of Dharmaghosh of Tapagachha is Vikram 1302 to 1357. If it is a work of later part of his life, it does not seem plausible that the work of writing it and getting copied could be done during 23 years. On this basis, in the preface to Shri Rishimandal Prakaran (with-Vritti) printed at Nirnaya Sager press, Vijayobhang Suri has expressed the possibility of antiquity of the commentator as against the original author, if it is accepted as a work of Dharmghosh-suri of Tapagachha. According to him this seems to be a work done by Dharmaghosh-suri the disciple of Vidhipaksha Anchalgachha Nayak Jayasingh Suri. His period was Vikram 1208 to 1268.
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