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THE PAÑCAGRANTHI-VYĀKARANA OF
BUDDHISĀGARASŪRI (V. Sam. 1080)*
N. M. Kansara
THE AUTHOR
Although the Jaina a'thors are generally very particular in recording the day, the date and the year in which they finished their particular work, we rarelv get any information about their life from their own works. We have, therefore, to lean on secondary sources like the Prabandhas, which do give a few details about the more famous and noteworthy among them. Thus, we come across a brief account of both the pre-initiation as well as the post-initiation period of the life of both Jinesvara and Buddhisāgara incidentally in the canto treating the life of Abha adeva üri, in the pineteenth Prabandha entitled Sri-abną adeva üri-prabandha-of the Prabhā vakacaritą of Prabhacandrasūri (V. Sam. 1334. i.e. 1277 A.D.).
Prahhäc andra äri has given the following details about the life of Buddhisăgarasûri :
During the reign of King Bhoja of Dhārā in the Mā'ava country, there lived in the city a wealthy a merchant named Lakşmripatil. Orce two young learned scholars named Sithara and Srirati, the sons of a Brahmin named Krsna belonging to Madhyadega, arrived in Dhārā and come 1o the house of Laksmirati fos alms. There they saw the accounts of the merchant written on the wall. Since thev ca ne for alms to the merchant often the accounts struck into their memory which was extraordinarily sharp 2 During those davs the house of the merchant cought fire and along with the household the wall of the house too was damaged and the accounts got defaced consequently3. Laks nibati was worried about the disputes that might arise about the claims of money due to the absence of the records4. The two young scholars ca ne to his help and wrote down the accounts afresh to the minutest of their davwise details 5. The merchant was awe-struck
*This research paper was presented before the XXXIst Session of the ALLINDIA ORIENTAL CONFERENCE held at University of Rajasthgp, Jaipur, in October, 1982.
Sombodhi XI-3
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