Some Aspects of Indian Culture

Author(s): A S Gopani, Nagin J Shah, Dalsukh Malvania
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

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KUVALAYAMĀLĀ * (A. Jaina Story of the 8th Ceatury A.D.)
The story of which the following details and description are given goes under the name of the Kuvalayumala. Its author was a Jaina scholar, named Udyotanasari alias Daksinyacihna. The story was completed on the last day but one of the eighth century of the saka era, i.e., on the latter part of the forurteenth day of the dark half of Caitra of 699th year of the Saka era, in a city called Jabalipura which was at that time included in Gujarat but is at present identified with Jhālor of Mārwar. Śri Vatsaraja then ruled over the city. The language of the text of the story is lainā Mahāraştri-the principal Prākrit, and the manner of its composition reminds one of the style of a Campū in which both prose and poetry had a place. The story consists of 10000 ślokas; the plot is of a diverse character. All these statements are based upon facts gleaned from the prefatory and panegyric remarks made by the author of the story in the introductory and concluding stanzas. The Kuvalayamala, moreover, affords us some important data and hints regarding history and linguistics; these will be dwelt upon, however, in another article.
II. History of the development of Jaina story literature. I am tempted to give a short account of the development of the Jaina story literature before attempting a detailed description of the Kuvala yamala. The Jaina story literature is vast. Several hundreds of story works are available to-day principally written in four languages, viz. Prakrit, Sanskrit, Apabhramsa and Gujarāts. But the large portion of this literature seems to have been written after the 10th century A.D. As we go back, the number of the story works decreases, so much so that in the first millennium we hardly get eyen ten works of this branch of liteature. From this point of view the discovery of the Kuvalayamala is very important.
A particular kind of the Jaina liteature is termed Dharmakathanuyoga, of which Jñātādharmakatha, one of the eleven Angas, is a good representative. Tradition has it that it contained a number of crores of such religious stories out of which only sixteen have survived the ravages of time; at present only nineteen chapters of that Anga are available with changes hither and thither. These religious stories resemble the Ākhyānas of the Vedas, the Brahmanas and the Upanişads. They are of a frag.
Abridged English summary of the original Gujarati article which the author. Prof. Jinavijavii Muni, has publisbed in Vasanta Rajat-mahotsava Smāraka Grantha (Ahmedabad 1927). English Translation is prepared by Prof. A. S. Gopani.
Published in the Bhāratiya Vidya Vol. I1; part I Nov. 1940.