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Vol. XVII, No. 2
47
Anusțubh for a continued narration in 3 cantos, Upajāti in 4 cantos, Varšastha in 3 and Drutavilambita, Puspitāgră, Praharsinī, Mālini, Rathoddhatā, Vaṁšamālā, Vasantatilakā, sālini and Svăgată in 1 canto each. 5. Hemacandra (12th century)
He is a very voluminous and many-sided writer among the Jain monks. He lived in Gujrat during the reigns of kings Jayasimha and Kumārapālā in the 12th century A.D. Among his more important works may be mentioned the 3 Anusāsanas viz., of Sabda, Käyya and Chandas, as also his two great poems, the Dvyāśraya and the Trişaştisalākāpuruşacarita. The latter is a narrative poem with a preponderence of the Anustubh and hence I have selected only the former for my analysis. In his Chandānuśāsana Hemacandra has composed stanzas to illustrate each one of the numerous metres in Sanskrit which he has defined. But these cannot be taken into consideration while we are examining his actual practice as reflected in his poems.
The Duyāśrayakāyya contains 20 cantos and a total of 2430 stanzas. It is the first part of the author's Kumărapălacarita, the 2nd part being in Prākrit and consisting of 8 cantos.
28 different metres are employed in this poem, of which 14 are used for less than 5 times each. Anustubh is the predominant metre used for the composition of 10 cantos and Upajāti for 4. Aupacchandasika and Kekiraya are used for 1 canto each. Svāgatā is used for 100 stanzas at a stretch in the 8th canto, and sālini for 20 in the same canto. 6. Viranandin (10th century, 2nd half)
He was the pupil of Abhayanandin of the Desi Gaņa, and was a Digambara writer. He is probably the same as the Viranandin mentioned along with Abhayanandin as his venerable predecessors by Cámundarāya in his Cāmundarāyapurāna in A.D. 978. His Candraprabhacarita is mentioned by Vādirāja in his Pārsvanāthacarita composed in Saka 847.
Candraprabhacarita is a mahākāvya in 18 cantos containing a total of 1697 stanzas. It describes the life of the Tirthamkara Candraprabha. The poem is published in the Kāvyamālā, No. 30, Bombay, 1912 (4th edition).
28 different metres are used in this poem. Of these 7 are used only once each, and 5 are used for less than 10 times each. The following metres are employed for the composition of a canto: Anustubh thrice : Varšastha and Viyogini twice each : Udgatā, Drutavilambita, Puspitāgrā, Pramitaksară, Praharsinī, Mālabhārini, Rathoddhatā, Vasantatilakā, and Svāgată once each. Besides these Upajāti, Praharşini, Viyogini and Salini are also used continuously for a group of 9 to 26 stanzas at a stretch in other cantos.
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