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[D ] poetics is attributed to him. He was a great devotee of Jinasena whose ascetic virtues and literary gifts must have captivated his mind. He soon became a devout Jaina and renounced the kingdom in preference to religious life as mentioned by him in his Sanskrit wosk Praśnottara-ratnamālā and as graphically described by his contemporary Mahāvīrācārya in his Ganitasāra-samgraha. (See Jaina Siddhānta Bhāskara IX, and Anekānta V, page 183) His reign was victoriously prosperous and the span of his career pretty long.
After finishing his training in various branches of traditional learning like grammar, poetics, Nyāya etc. under his teachers like Virasena and Jayasena, it seems, Jinasena began his literary career by composing (sometime before 783 A.D.) the Pārśvābhyudaya, a Sanskrit Kāvya, a curio in Sanskrit literature. In this poem he incorporates in every verse one or two lines of the Meghadūta of Kālidāsa in their serial order, the remaining lines being composed by himself. In this way the whole poem of Kálidāsa is subjected to the poetic art known as samasya-purana. Though the stories are basically different, the lines of the Meghadūta get fitted admirably in the Pārsvābhyudaya. Composition by samasyā-pūraña puts a number of restrictions on the poet who undertakes it. Jinasena has achieved it so naturally and skilfully that while reading Pārsvābhyudaya by itself one hardly suspects that it embodies another poem of different theme as well as contexts. The Pārévābhyudaya is a remarkable tribute to Jinasena's mastery over Sanskrit and abilities as a poet. His compliments to Kālidāsa's poem at once ennoble his personality. It is only a merited poet that can admire another poet. On this poem, Professor K.B. Pathak has remarked thus : 'This poem is one of the curiosities of Sanskrit literature. It is at once the product and the mirror of the literary taste of the age. The first place among Indian poets is allotted to Kālidāsa by consent of all. Jinasena, however, claims to be considered a higher genius than the author of Cloudmessenger.' (The Journal of the Bombay branch of the R.A.S., No. XLIX, vol. XVIII, 1892; also his ed. of Kālidāsa's Meghadūta, 2nd ed., Poona 1916, Intro. pp. xxiii etc.)
After completing the Dhavală commentary on the Şațkhandāgama in 72 thousand Granthägras, Virasena took up the Jayadhavalā commentary on the Kaşāya-prābhịta. He passed away when he had composed just 20 thousand Granthāgras. It was left consequently to his worthy disciple Jinasena to complete that commentary by composing some 40 thousand Grathāgras more (in 837 A.D.). These voluminous commentaries show their depth of learning and their mastery over the entire range of Jainology, especially the Karma Siddhānta. These works contained all that was worth
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