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Studies in Jainology, Prakrit
the original gahās to all those interested in the four-fold Aradhanā and Jainism. During this period and later too Kathakosas continued to be presented with different numbers of stories, in different languagesa and by different authors.
On the whole, Kathakośas associated with the Bhagavati Ārādhanā are found in Sanskrit, Prakrit (including Apabhramsa) and Kannada. Among the available such Kathākośas, the Vaddaradhane 3 in old Kannada Prose, which, of course, can be treated as a partial Kathakosa, is the carliest one assignable to the 1st quarter of the 10th century A.D. It is also the earliest available and excellent Kannada Classic in Prose and it contains 19 stories told with greater wealth of details and motifs than is found in the corresponding stories of any other availablc Aradhana Kathākosa. Vaddarādhane is not, however, the genuine title of this work. The genuine title has not come down us in the available manuscripts of this important work. The genuine tille, signifying the contents of the work, could indeed be Aradhana-Kavaca-Kathakosa for the 19 stories are based on the 19 verses (1539-1557) in the Kavaca Adhikara of the Bhaktapratyakhyāna Section of the Bhagavati Aradhanā and each story aims at acting as a unit of Kavaca (Religious Protective armour) to be imparted to the Arādhakā. The language of the Vaddarādhane is influenced by Prakrit in several ways. Moreover, out of 131 quotations found in its text, 62 are in Prakrit and the rest are in Sanskrit and Kannada. Then Harisena's Brhat-Kathākosa (931-32 A.D.), in Sanskrit verse, stands as an Important Aradhana Kathākosa with highest number of srorics and longest extent of text. Śrīcandra's Kathakośa, '4 in Apabhramba verse, is put at the close of the 11th century A.D. Prabhācandra's Kathakosa, in Sanskrit prose, belongs almost to the same period. Nemidatta's Kathākosal, in Sanskrit verse, which is mainly based on Prabhācandra's work belongs to the beginning of the 16th century A.D., Besides these Ārādhanā Kathākosas several others in Sanskrit and Prakrit, are found in manuscript form in different Bhandaras."
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