Dvyāśrayakāvya / Kumārapālacarita of Hemacandra

[Full title: Indian Contribution to Śāstrakāvya Tradition (4): Dvyāśrayakāvya / Kumārapālacarita of Hemacandra]

Hemacandra is the founder of the new grammar system named Haimaśabdānuśāsana. He composed the Historical Mahākāvya called Dvyāśrayakāvya with an intension to illustrate this new system of grammar. The Prakrit part of the work is called Kumārapālacarita. Ācārya Hemacandra was a distinguished Jain monk, a socio-religious reformer, a politician and an extra ordinary scholar. The work is divided in 28 cantos. Twenty cantos are written in Sanskrit and eight cantos in Prakrit. Dvyāśrayakāvya begins with an auspicious Jain word arham^[1] which is a synonym of Jina and Brahma.

The theme of the poem consists of the history of the Chalukyas of Gujarat. It begins with the description of Mūlarāja who was the proper originator of the dynasty and put an end with the social and religious achievements of Kumārapāla. Hemacandra made a new attempt to write his poem which comprised not only the complete examples of his grammar but many times quoted the controversial opinions of other scholars on grammar as well through examples. His novelty in illustrations lies in the fact that many times he gives even counter examples (pratyudāharaṇas) which are totally excluded in other poems.