Appendix 9 - Commentaries (4): Paraga-vivrti

This [paraga-vivrti] commentary [on the Tilakamanjari] was composed by Shri Vijayalavanyasuri, a disciple of a well-known Jain Acarya Shri Vijayanemisuri. Born at Botad (in Saurashtra) in Vikrama Samvata 1953 (i.e. 1897 A.D.) as a son of Jivanlal and Amritben, and mamed Lavji, he took to ascetic life at a tender age of nineteen years and had his initiation (diksa) at the holy hands of the able preceptor Shri Vijayanemisuri, who rechristened him as 'Muni Lavanyavijaya'. The pupil devoted himself to the study of Sanskrit lore, especially Grammar, Logic and Jain Agamas and Prakaranas, and grew under him gradually as a 'Gani', 'Pannyasa', 'Upadhyaya', and finally blossomed forth into a full 'Acarya' authorized to the title "Suri".32 Shri Vijayalavanyasuri seems to have been a prolific 30. This ms, was kindly loaned to me by Shri Gulabchand Zaveri of Baroda, along with other nazi mss. 31. Tilakamanjari-katha-sara of Laksmidhara, Intro., p. 2 a: parantu "gramtha vaisadye samanyatah sahayadatri ityetadasmakamapi matam | 32. Tilakamanjari,Pt. I, Intro.,pp.34-35.

1109 writer, being eminently well-versed in both Sanskrit and Prakrit. His mastery of Sanskrit Grammar deserves to be specially noted in view of the fact that in the long history og Sanskrit Grammatical Literature he is the only scholar who has attempted a comprehensive declension of all the 1974 roots of Sanskrit (listed by Hemacandra) in all the possible magandaeg primary and secondary derivations and in all the tenses and the moods. His encyclopaedic Dhaturatnakara in seven volumes is a solid contribution to the Sanskrit Grammatical Literature, and a fine tribute to the versatile genius Acarya Hemacandra, whose system, as expounded in his 'Siddha-haima-sabdanusasana', the Suri followed. 33 Beside the above-mentioned work and the Paraga commentary on the Tilakamanjari of Dhanapala, his other works are : (i) a Vrtti on Hemacandra's Kavyanusasana; (ii) an elaborate commentary on the three sutras of Umasvati's Tattartha-sutta; (iii) a commentary on the Nayarahasya of Yasovijaya Gani%; (iv) a commentary named Tattvavabodha on the Jaina-tarka-bhasa or Anekanta-vyavastha; (v) the Balavabodha-vrtti on the Sapta-bhahgi-naya-pradipa; (vi) the Taranga-tarangini-vrtti on the Nayamrta-tarangini; 33. Dh.R., Pt, I, Intro., vs. 18: Prat hemadi laksanaih | curadhannaganairguptah prakriyabhih pariskrtah || 1||

1110 (vii) a Vrtti on the Sastra-vartta-samuccaya of Haribhadrasuri; and (viii) a revision and reconstruction of the Nyasa commentary composed by Hemacandra himself on his own work on Grammar. 34 The Paraga commentary richly wafts the fragrance of scholarly and sympathetic understanding over the equally scholarly literary garden of the Tilakamanjari of Dhanapala full of rich growther of compounds and skillful paronomasia. The commen ntator has taken pains to elaborate the meaning of almost all the words worthy to be commented upon, specially as it is the work of a great pundit-poet highly devoted to 35 Jainism. The author of the Paraga-vivrti has really loved to undertake such a work. 36. 'He has pointed out very minutely to the figures of speech and the metres of all the introductory verses. One wonders why he has not kept up the same spirit in the rest of the portion of the prose text proper, where he confines himself to elaborating the meaning, while rarely referring to the metres of the intervening verses and the excellences of both the prose as well as the metrical passages. 34. Tilakamanjari, Pt.I, Intro., p.35. 35. Tilakamanjari, p.1: srijinendrasasanaikarasika dharadhisasadita sarasvatibiruda- kavindra vipragrani paramarhata sridhanapala sudhisena viracita tilakamanjari | 36. cf. Intro.,vss. of the Paraga-vivrti : T OF TRITTSFET suvarno'nyah suvarnatah | dusprapya sadalakara dhanapalarthanayakah || 17|| vaibudhagama amoda padah premna prasadhyate| lavanyavibudhanatha maya mulamadhugrahah || 18 ||

The readings of the text of the Tilakamanjari of Dhanapala as has been adopted by the author of the Paraga-vivrti are generally correct, though in some cases the commentator has taken liberty with the text of the Tilakamanjari of Dhanapala by introducing some minor emendations, which are not at all warranted by the oldest available ms., while in at least one ■ case there is a serious dha ■ omission of the expected verse, viz., "Param kotimarupatya", after the verse "Adhyassroni...."etc., on Tilakamanjari,p.84. A few passages are also misunderstood by the commentator. 37 It is a pity that the work published so far covers x only two-thirds of the total extent of the text as printed in the Tilakamanjari, and the publication of the remaining portion has somehow come to a stand-still, after the sojourn of its 38 author to the yonder worlds. One hopes it will soon appear inprint to cover the full extent of the work. ******* ¢¢¢ ) ¢¢¢ ******* 37. See Appendix L. 38. It is known from Shri Daksavijayasuri, a disciple of the commentator, that the work had been completed by its author as far as the composing writing aspect of the commentary is concerned.