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by an erudite Jaina poet named Jinakerti, towards the end of the 15th century V.S. The stavana seems to have been very popular and considered. invaluable as a linguistie curiosity, for all the MSS of the 'stavana' bear a Sanskrit 'avacari', expounding important passages in the verses, commenting on grammatical peculiarities, citing sutras probably from the celebrated Prakrit gram nar 'Siddha Hemacandra'. Below each avacuri is an Old Gujarati 'stabaka' or explanation, of a much late date, trying to give in very peculiar and often clumsy and corrupt Old Gujarati the meaning of the Prakrit verse, which, at places, usefully supplements the exposition in the 'avacuri'.
Along with the saḍbhaşamaya Pañcajinastavana' of Jinakirti, I came across a MS, 'Sr Nemijinesvara Samstava (7-verses writtten in 8 languages), written by Jayasundarasuri of Tapagaccha also an illustrious disciple of Somasundarasuri, about V.S. 1506. It forms the concluding portion of a MS, containing 5 short poems -Pañcakalyaṇaka Ekadasi' (11 Vss in Sanskrit), 'Sri Pañcakalyanaka Ekadasi stuti' (4 vss in Sanskrit), Namaskara (3 vss in Prakrit), 'Sri Mahavirastavana Phagubandha' (17 Vss in Sanskrit), and 'Sri Nemijineśvara Samstava' (18 vss in Sanskrit and different Prakrits). It has come down in a single MS, the last 2 lines of which are written probably in some North Indian NIA language. It does not have either an 'avacuri' or a 'stabaka'. It is, however, more elaborate than the 'Pañcajinastavana' and evinces greater poetic beauty.
Three MSS of 'Sadbhaṣamaya Pañcajinastava' of Jinakirti became available to me from the Jaina Atmananda Sabha's Jñanabhandara at Bhavnagar (in Gujarat). They bear Nos. 976/1, 976/2 and 976/3. I have named them A, B and C MSS for convenience. A and B MSS give the name of the work as 'Sadbhāṣamaya Pañcajinastava', while C MS refers to it as 'Sadbhaastava' only. All MSS agree in mentioning the name of the poet-gh fafik. MS A was copied in VS. 1529; B probably in about the same century, and C in V.S. 1871 (probably recopied from an older MS). A and B MSS consist of 2 folios each, while C MS written in much bolder hands has 10 folios.
Folios in MS A are 10" long and 41" broad, folios in B MS measure 103" by 43"; while C MS is larger its folios are 10' long and 5" broad.
A MS has 12 to 13 lines on each side of the folio, though it has extensive marginalia at the top and bottom; B MS has 14 lines per page, and has also long marginalia above and below; while C MS has only 4
