Risht Samucchaya

Author(s): Durgadevacharya, A S Gopani
Publisher: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan

Page 53

THE RISTASAMUCCAYA
even though he was, as he describes himself, 'a versatile genius holding command on a number of subjects. We become aware of this princely characteristic of his temper when he says that those who are skilled in the Science of Omens and Portents 8 should correct what has been said by him out of ignorance or arrogance and then publish it'. He was fully conscious of such shortcomings especially in view of the fact that the composition was hurried off in course of only three days. At the same he
was also quite confident of the sterling merit of his production Nand therefore he says that it is bound to remain reputed as long
as there is Meru, moon or sun?. Thus in conclusion we can settle four points without any controversy, namely, (1) Durgadeva was a Digambara Jaina writer, (2) he has used Prākrit language in almost all his three compositions known to us, (3) he was a writer of treatises and not of big works and lastly (4) he was a writer of mystic sciences, magic, commercial astrology etc. There is no literary and epigraphic evidence available that can throw more light than this regarding Durgadeva, his life and works.
4. Maranakandikā 16 The RS makes it abundantly clear that Durgadeva had seen and studied the MK in all its aspectså. Not only that but he has also made a free use of it, as he did of other works also bearing on the subject, in composing the RS us is clear from his own statement. I got a clue to this work 25 from the Anekāntas and got the Ms. froin Delhiť. But to my surprise I found no difference between the MK and the RS excepting some very negligible variants and positional differences of the stanzas. Also the entry in the Anckānta
gave me to understand, as I believed, that the MK was by *a different and an earlier writer. In it the sts. 3 to 15 of
the RS have not been found. It consists of 146 sts. The last stanza of the MK tallies with the 162nd of the RS and there
1 See st, 256. 2 See st. 259. 3 See sts, 16 and 139 of the text. 4 Ibid., also soo Notes on st. 16, p. 73 and p. 91. 5 1941, October, Vol. 4, no. 9, p. 499.
6 Digambara Jaina Sarasvati Bhavan Pañcăyati Mandir, Masjid Khajur, Dolbi. The Ms. no. is a 16.