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Jaina Kosa Literature : 129
restricted to any particular subject or ott. "wise. The Nighantus are limited to a particular text, while the Kośas do not have any such restriction, drawing words as they do from all types of works. The third, pertains to their form, the Nighantus are in prose and Kośas are in verse, mostly in the Anustubh and sometimes in the Aryā metre. The Kośas were purposely written in verse probably because of their being more conducive to memorisation. Placing sufficient vocabulary at the disposal of a perspective writer was the prime motive of Kośa writers.
Just as in grammar, Pāṇini has stolen the limelight so among lexicographers, Amarsingh, the compiler of the celebrated Nāmalingānusāsana, known as Amarakośa after his name. There did precede him lexicographers like Bhāguri (sabdakośa), Vyāļi (Utpalini), Kātyāyana, credited with the compilation of the Nāmamālā, Vācaspati and Vikramaditya, the compilers of sabdārņava and Sańsārāvarta, respectively. Nevertheless, these Kośa works are not available today. The great indologist AC 'Woolner may be credited to provide for the first time the details of Sanskrit Kośa works. In the commentary on Śivakośa of Sivadatta, there is mention of Kosa works and Kośakāras, 51 in aggregate, namely Śabdārņava, Mediniviśva, Dhanvantari, Bhāvamiśvaksta by Simha, Rājanighantu, Amaramālā by Keyadeva, Abhidhāna Cūdāmaņi, Amara, Ajaya Dallana, HỊdayadipaka, Vācaspati, Vāpyacandra, Ashokamalla, Vāgbhața, Madanavinoda, Trikāndaśeșa, Haima, Bopadeva, Rabhasa, Locana, Dharmistha, Devala, Halāyudha, Svāmī, Dvirūpakosa, Nāmamālā, Hārāvali, Madanavinoda, Anekārthadhvani-Mañjarī, Keśava, Kesaramālā, Gālava, Gunaratnamālā, Dharani, Nāmaguņamālā, Purușottama, Madanapāla, Nighaņķu, Ratnakoșa, Rantideva, Vidvadvaidyavallabha, Vaijayanti, Vyādi, śāśvatakośa , sivaprakāša, Śivadatt, , Hattacandra, Hemādri etc.
The Amarakośa (5th cent. AD) is the earliest among the published Kośas. Probably, contemporary to Amara is Saraswata, whose homonymous work, the Anekārthasamuccaya devotes sometimes a whole verse or a part thereof to explain the term. Among other works the Abhidhānanāmamālā of Halayudha(c. AD 950) and the Vaijayanti of the Yadavaprakāśa (c. 1050 AD), the latter rather voluminous, are notable. Maheśvara composed Visvaprakāśa (AD 1111) and
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