Comparative and Critical Study of Mantrashastra

Author(s): Mohanlal Bhagwandas Jhaveri, K V Abhayankar
Publisher: Sarabhai Manilal Nawab

Page 309

The Author and the Commentator
MALLISENASURI is the author of Sri Bhairava Padmavati Kalpa
and Bandhusena is its commentator.
Malliṣeṇasuri a Digambara Jain Acharya of Sena-gaņa traces his descent in the colophon of the said work. He was the pupil of Kanakasenagani and the grand-pupil of Ajitasenagani to whom all the kings rendered obeisance. This Ajitasenācārya was none other then the famous Guru of King Racamalla of Ganga dynasty and his minister and general Camundarai. In the colophons of his Nagakumāra Kavya and Jwâlinikalpa also he describes himself as the pupil of Jinasensuri. As Mallişenasuri in the colophons of his work Mahāpurāṇa, and Bhāratikalpa describes himself as the son of Sri Jinasena, one is inclined to think that Jinasena must have been his father also. One cannot, however, be certain about it as Gurus are even now regarded in India as spiritual fathers. We have no more information about his parentage.
Mallisena in the colophon of his said wark, Mahāpurāņa gives its date as Jyestha Sukla 5th Saka 968 (1104 Vikrama era). As his other works do not bear any date we are unable to fix even the period of his literary activity with any more certainty. We can only say that he flourished about the beginning of the twelth century of Vikrama era.
From his titles* given in his various works, we can say that he was not only a great Mantrika but also a great poet of Sanskrit and Prakrit, a grammarian, a dialectecian and also versed in all the sacred scriptures and was favoured by Sarasvati with a boon. From his two Sanskrit poetical works, Mahāpurāņa and Nagakumāra Kāvya it appears that he wrote in a simple and lucid style. Mahāpurāņa contains the biographies of 63 eminent men in 2000 verses and Naga
66
* गारूड मन्त्रवादवेदी, उभयभाषाकविशेखरः, उभयभाषाकविचक्रवर्ती,
सकलागमलक्षणतर्कवेदी, सरस्वती लब्धवरप्रसादः, योगीश्वर इत्यादि । "