Book Title: Studies in Jainism
Author(s): Ramkrishna Mission Institute of Culture Culcutta
Publisher: Ramkrishna Mission Institute of Culture Culcutta
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LITERATURE OF JAINISM
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twenty-third Tirthankara. This whole Mahapurana has been rendered into Apabhramsa with commensurate skill and in charming style by Puşpadanta in his Tisatthimahāpurisa-gunālankara (tenth century). Another Sanskrit version of it is found in the Trisasti-salākāpurusa-carita of Hemacandra which again has a charm of its own. Its historical value is enhanced by the additional section called the Parisistaparvan or Sthaviravali-carita which gives valuable information about the Jaina community after Mahāvīra's nirvana.
BIOGRAPHIES OF SAGES AND SAINTS IN
SANSKRIT AND PRAKRIT A large number of works have been written on the lives of individual Tirthankaras, and other personages of the hierarchy, in Sanskrit. Prakrit, and Apabhramba. The more important of these are:
In Sanskrit: Life of the twelfth Tirthankara, Vāsupujya, by Vardhamana Sūri; life of the thirteenth Tirthankara, Vimala, by Krşnadeva; life of the fifteenth Tirthankara, Dharmanātha, by Haricandra; lives of the sixteenth Tirthankara, Santinātha, by Deva Sūri, Māņikyanandin, and Sakalakirti; lives of the twenty-second Tirthankara, Neminātha, by Vāgbhatta and Surācārya; and lives of the twenty-third Tirthankara. Pārsvanātha. by Jinasena. Vădirāja (eleventh century), Bhāvadeva, and Mänikyacandra.
In Prakrit: Ādināthacaria of Vardhamāna (eleventh century), Sumatināthacaria of Somaprabha (twelfth century), Supāsanāhacaria of Lakşmaņagani, and Mahāvīracaria of Gunacandra and also of Devendra.
In Apabhramsa: The Mehesaracariu of Raidhu (fifteenth century) on the life of the first Tirthankara: the Candappahacariu of Yaśahkirti (fifteenth century); the Säntinähacariu of Mahicand ixteenth century); the Nemināhacariu of Haribhadra (eighth century), of Damodara (thirteenth century), and of Lakhmadeva (sixteenth century), the Pasanähacariu of Padmakirti (tenth century), of Sridhara (twelfth century); of Asavāla (fifteenth century), and of
