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Studies in Jainology, Prakrit
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gahas. Asadhara flourished during the 13th cent.A.D. Aradhanapañjika and Bhavarthadipika are two small Comentaries still in manuscript form. Asadhara also mentions Jayanandi and Śricandra as two of the authors of some Tippanakas on the Bhagavati Aradhana he had used. Some references in the Commentaries of Aparajitasūri and Asadhara suggest that before them there were also other Commentarics, in Sanskrit and Prakrit, on the Bhagavati Aradhana. Asadhara clearly refers to a Prakrit Commentary" that contained stories on the referential and significant gahas in the Bhagavati Aradhana. Morcover there was another such Commentary in old Kannada Composed by Bhrajisnu and known by an authentic and lucid reference. It is Ramacandra Mumuksu, the author of the Punyasrava Kathākosa, who states at the close of the story of Śrenika (No.8):
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Bhrajisnorāradhanā-karnāṭatīkākathita-kramenollckhamatram kathiteyam katha iti; (St.No.8, p.61): this story is adapted in short from the Kannada Commentary of Bhrajisnu on the Aradhana.
From this discussion, it can broadly be deducted that the earlier and detailed Commentaries, like that of Bhrajisnu and the Prakrit one used by Asadhara, gave stories also on the referential or skeleton type of gahas; but the later Commentaries, like those of Aparajita and Asādhara, ommitted stories possibly for the reason that by their time some scholars had presented separate Kathakosas by picking up the story-element from the earlier Commentaries.12 Hence the trend and nature of development of commentarial and story-literature round about the Bhagavati Aradhana appears to have been as follows: Detailed Commentaries, including stories, were first composed to be studied by younger monks and for the benefit of the Aradhakas. Then the story-element was separated from such Commentaries and presented in the form of Aradhana Kathākosas particularly for the pious laity. Later, Commentaries without stories, came to be written with a view to interpreting and explaining the technical or dogmatical points in
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