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Studies in Jainology, Prakrit
223
A scrutiny of the so far known Commentaries on the Bhagavati Aradhana and the Kathakosas associated with it, published, unpublished or known by references only, reveals a significant fact that except in old Kannada, in no other Modern Indian Language, Aryan or Dravidian, is so far found any Commentary on the Bhagavati Aradhana or any Kathakosa associated with it. Why could it be so ? Most probably for the reason that Karnatak is one of the regions in South India where thes advent of Jainism took place very early at least with the migration of the Jaina Sangha led by Bhadrabahu and accompanied by Candragupta Mauraya, which tradition is monumentally represented at Śravanabelgola, recorded in some of the inscriptions and literary and literary and semi-historical works of this part of the country and accepted as a fact of history by eminent historians like Rice, Smith, Aiyangar, Sheshagiri Rao, Saletore etc. After the establishment of the Jaina colonies in Karanatak, possibly the first one at Śravanabelgola, the Jaina teachers, as usual, learned and adopted the local language for their religious preaching and teaching, laid the foundation of literary Kannada18 and gradually raised it to a magnificient structure, glipmses of which are fornd dedcribed in the Kavirājamārga,' a work on rhetoric and of great value, supposed to have been composed by the Rastrakūta king Nṛpatunga (814-877 A.D.) Thus as a result of the sincere cultivation of Kannada by the Jaina teachers of old, it has had an early literary carcer and rich heritage though the lower line of development is not traceable.20 Along with these literary activities on the part of the Jaina teachers, the Aradhana (i.e, the Bhagavati Aradhana), a very important work on ascetic ideals, must have been studied discussed in different ascetic circles in Karnatak. The Vaddaradhane refers to it with all reverence more than once; so also does the great Camundaraya in his Trisasti22 Then some lakṣanamahāpurana known as Cavundaraya Purana. teachers must have composed detailed Commentaries (including stories) in Kannada. Bhrājisnu's Aradhana-tikā may be one of such
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