Vardhaman Charitam

Author(s): Ratnachandra Muni, Chunilal V Shah
Publisher: Chunilal V Shah

Page 8

General Editorial
The 2500th Anniversary of the Nirvāņa of Bhagavān Mahāvira is being celebrated soon, all over the world, as a mark of respect to that great personality whose doctrines of Ahiinsä, Anekānta and Aparigraha are a panacea for the baser tendencies of Violence, Intolerance and excessive Greed at the levels of the individual, society or nation. The Jaina Saņsksti Samrakşaka Sangha, Sholapur, founded by the late Br. Jivaraj Gautamchandaji has rendered, during the last twentyfive years, significant service to the cause of Jaina literature, embodying the teachings of Mahāvira and his great disciples of yore, through numerous publications in Sanskrit, Prākrit, Apabhransa, Hindi, Marathi, Kannada and English. It is but natural that the authorities of this Granthamālā planned to publish, on the occasion of this celebration, the biography of Mahāvira, namely, the Vardhamāna carita of Asaga along with Hindi translation. That is how this edition of the Vardhamanacarita of Asaga is being placed in the hands of readers.
The Mss. of the Mahāvīra-caritra (MC), or Vardhamāna-caritra (or -purāņa) (VC or VP) or Sanmaticaritra of Asaga are reported to exist in Arrah, Karanja, Varanga, Humch, Idar, Bombay, Mysore, Poona, Svadi, Moodbidri, Madras, Adyar and other places. Those of his śāntināthapurāņa (SP) are reported to exist in Poona, Limbdi, Ajmer, Bombay and Bodlean Library in U. K. It is reported that the Bodlean Library has also an abridgement of it in twelve chapters, the original work having sixteen cantos. The distribution of the Mss. of these works of Asaga shows their wide circulation. There might be some Mss. here and there, in private collections as well.
So far no Sanskrit commentary on Asaga's poems has come to light. Shri V.B. Lokapur 2 has come across a palm-leaf Ms. containing a Kannada Vyakhyāna on the Vardhamānapurāna. It gives the anvaya and meaning in Kannada : all this would enable one to understand the text better. The concluding passage gives some information about the commentator. His name is Vije ( = Vijaya) rāja; he belonged to the Vaśiştha-gotra; he was a resident of Belagula (the same as Sravana-B.) and he completed it in saka 1402, i.e., A.D. 1480. Shri Lokapur has not noted where the Ms, exists. It is better that we know more about it. I have been informed that that there is a Ms, of the Vardhamāna-purāņa with a Kannada commentary in the Upadhyāya familly of Halagi( Dt. Belgaum). My inquiry has not been so far fruitful.
1. H. D, Velankar : Jinaratnakosa, Poona 1940, pp. 336, 342, 381, 2. Jayanti, July 1955, page 48.