________________
PRAKRIT
297
DO
Mānațunga, Dhanapāla (972 A.D.), Abhayaļēva. The Rsimandala-stotra is a chronical of monks, and the Dvādaśāngapramāņa is a description of the Aradhamāgadhi canon. Somasundara (15th C) wrote a few prayers almost as exercises in different Prākrit dialects.
Narrative literature in Prakrit, especially in Jain Mahārāstri and Apabhramba, is extensive and varied. It includes, besides the Brahatkathā, the lives of Slākā purusas, i.e. the celebrities of Jainism, of ascetic heroes and holy men of eminence; legendary tales of didactic motives, illustrative fables, semi historical narrations, popular romances, The Brahatkathā was composed by Gunādhya in Paiśāci. It is lost beyond recovery. We posses, however, three Sanskrit epitomes of it belonging to the middle ages. They indicate that the original work was of great dignity and magnitude, worthy of being ranked with Mahābhārat and Rāmāyana. It has supplied themes and motifs to many authors; and it is respectfully referred to by Dandin, Subandhu, Bāņa, and others. Gunādhya's personality is shrouded in myths. Perhaps he is earlier than Bhāsa, and may be assigned to the early centuries of Christian era.
Vimala, he himself declares, composed his Purānic epic, the Paumacariya, in 4 A. D. It gives the Jain version of Rāma legend. It is acquainted with Valmiki's Rāmāyan, but contains special details that have nothing to do with the Jain outlook and consequently are of great value in studying the basic Rāma legend, which has been worked out by different authors in different ways. Rāyaṇa is not a monster, nor Maruti a monkey, but they are Vidyadharas, a class of semi-divine persons. Vimala's religious sermons have a lofty didactic tone; and he tells many an episode of remantic and legendary interest. His gathās and elegant metres testify to his poetic ability and his style is almost uniformly fluent and forceful. The dialect also is interesting because of the age of the work and Apabhramśa traces seen in it,
Pāďalipța, of the early centuries of the Christian era, wrote a now lost religious novel in Prākrit, Tarangavai. It was a love story concluded with sermon. We possess a later epitome of it in Prākrit, the Tarangalola which testifies to its engrossing
Jain Educationa International
For Personal and Private Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
