Acharya Malaygiri Ane Temnu Shabdanushasan

Here's a comprehensive summary of the provided Gujarati text about Acharya Malayagiri and his Shabdanushasan, translated into English:

The article, titled "Acharya Shri Malayagiri ane Temnu Shabdanushasan" (Acharya Shri Malayagiri and His Shabdanushasan) by Punyavijay, published by Punyavijayji, introduces the significant Jain scholar and commentator Acharya Shri Malayagiri and his grammatical work, Shabdanushasan.

The author begins by quoting a verse that praises Acharya Malayagiri for his ability to dispel doubts regarding complex terms in the Jain Agamas through the cooling essence of his words. The article highlights that while Acharya Malayagiri composed numerous commentaries on Jain Agamas, Prakaranas, and other texts, his Shabdanushasan with its Pajnavritti (commentary) is considered his only independent original work.

Acharya Malayagiri was a contemporary and close associate of the renowned Jain scholar Kalikal Sarvajna Bhagwan Shri Hemchandracharya. The text notes the deep respect Malayagiri held for Hemchandracharya, referring to him as "Bhagwan Shri Hemchandra" and as a "guru" in his commentary on the Avasyakasutra.

Despite composing his own grammar, the article suggests that it is more appropriate and honorable to identify Acharya Malayagiri as an "Agamic" or "Siddhantic Yugapradhana Acharya" (a leading Acharya in the realm of Agamas and Siddhantas) according to Jain terminology, rather than solely as a grammarian, as was Hemchandracharya. The author expresses admiration for Malayagiri for undertaking the complex subject of grammar, especially in an era when Hemchandracharya had already produced a comprehensive grammar.

The article speculates on the reasons behind Malayagiri's decision to create a new grammar. It suggests that he might have been inspired by the all-encompassing scholarship of his mentor Hemchandracharya and driven by curiosity, or perhaps a specific inspiring event in his life prompted him to undertake this task.

Malayagiri's grammar undoubtedly took into account ancient grammatical traditions like those of Shakatayana and Chandra. However, the primary influence and model for his work was Bhagwan Shri Hemchandracharya's Siddha-Hem Shabdanushasan with its Pajnavritti. This is evident in the similar opening sutras ("Siddhikshanam" and "Nirvah") found in both grammars. The similarity in the sutras between the two works is so profound that it has historically led to confusion in referencing and cataloging Malayagiri's grammatical citations within his commentaries. Many scholars mistakenly attributed his cited sutras to either the Siddha-Hem or Panini's grammar, or omitted references altogether due to difficulty in identification. However, after examining Malayagiri's Shabdanushasan, it is definitively established that the grammatical sutras he cited in his commentaries are from his own work, not from other grammars.

The Pajnavritti of Malayagiri's grammar is described as a reflection of Hemchandracharya's Brihadvritti on Siddha-Hem. The author has confirmed that despite the inaccuracies in existing manuscripts of Malayagiri's Shabdanushasan, its research and editing are still feasible.

The article states that Acharya Malayagiri composed his grammar during the reign of Gurjar King Parmar Rajarshi Shri Kumarpaldev. This is evidenced by the example "Ratan Kumarpalnah" in the Pajnavritti of the sutra "Itedare" in his Shabdanushasan. This implies that any work by Malayagiri that contains citations from his Shabdanushasan was composed after the grammar's completion, during the reign of King Kumarpal. Alternatively, it's possible that Malayagiri originally composed the twelve-chapter Shabdanushasan during the reign of King Jayasinghdev and later wrote the Pajnavritti for it during King Kumarpal's rule. Regardless, it is certain that the Svapajnya Vritti on his Shabdanushasan was composed during the reign of King Kumarpaldev.

Currently, only three ancient handwritten manuscripts of Acharya Malayagiri's Svapajnya Shabdanushasan are known to exist:

1. A paper manuscript in the Jain Gyanbhandar at Vadi Parshvanath, Patan.
2. A palm-leaf manuscript in the Tāḍpatrīya Pustakbhandar of Sandhvi's Pada, Patan.
3. A palm-leaf manuscript in the Bhandarkar Institute's manuscript collection at Deccan College, Pune.

The article notes that other manuscripts found in Jain monastic libraries are likely copies of the Patan Vadi Parshvanath manuscript and are often incomplete.

Crucially, none of the three mentioned manuscripts are complete. Even combining them does not yield a full version of Acharya Malayagiri's Shabdanushasan.

1. The Patan Vadi Parshvanath manuscript contains sections up to Panchasandhi, Nama, Akhyata, and Krut. This includes thirty padas (sections) across the Chaturshkavritti, Akhyatavritti, and Krutvritti, but it lacks the Taddhitavritti, which is estimated to be around eighteen padas.
2. The palm-leaf manuscript from Sandhvi's Pada, Patan, is highly fragmented. It was likely around 500 pages, but only 330 to 456 pages remain, with many pages missing in between. This fragmented but important manuscript contains the Taddhitavritti. It has pagination for the entire work and for each section. In this manuscript, the Taddhitavritti is indicated as starting on page 35, meaning the first 34 pages of the Taddhitavritti, which include about one and a half chapters, are missing. The existing fragmented pages begin with an incomplete portion of the second chapter, second pada of Taddhit, and conclude around page 400 with the tenth pada. Following this, many pages are missing, with only a few scattered pages remaining. Therefore, this manuscript is incomplete and lacks the last eight padas.
3. Information about the Deccan College manuscript is still being verified, but preliminary checks indicate it is also incomplete and does not provide the full Shabdanushasan. This manuscript is written on palm leaves and is fragmented.

Without a complete version of the grammar, the exact number of sutras and the extent of the Pajnavritti remain unknown. However, even in its incomplete state, the number of chapters and padas can be estimated. Acharya Malayagiri himself, in his commentary on the sutra "Santhayāḥ" of the ninth pada of Taddhit, states that his grammar has eight chapters, referring to it as "Ashtakam Paniniyam Sutram" (a reference to Panini's eight chapters). Based on this, it can be inferred that Malayagiri's Shabdanushasan concludes in twelve chapters and forty-eight padas. Although Malayagiri did not mark chapters and padas in the colophons like Hemchandracharya, the recurring phrase "iti Shri Malayagirivirachite Shabdanushasane Taddhite Dvitiyānām Dvitiyah Pādasamāptih" and similar colophons for subsequent padas confirm his intention of having four padas per chapter. The Vadi Parshvanath manuscript, ending with Krut, contains five padas of Panchasandhi, nine padas of Nama, ten padas of Akhyata, and six padas of Krut, totaling 30 padas. This indicates that this manuscript extends up to the eighth chapter, second pada, and with the addition of the eighteen padas for Taddhitavritti, the grammar would be complete in twelve chapters. The fragmented manuscript from Sandhvi's Pada contains a colophon on page 400 stating "iti Shri Malayagirivirachite Shabdanushasane Taddhite Dvādashah Pādasamāptih," leaving no doubt that the following pages contained the remaining eight padas. This confirms the conclusion of Acharya Malayagiri's Shabdanushasan in twelve chapters and forty-eight padas.

The article states that Acharya Malayagiri does not appear to have composed independent works like a Dhātupāṭha (list of verb roots) or Udigaṇa related to his Shabdanushasan. Scholars of his grammar would need to refer to the Dhātupāṭhas of other Acharyas.

There is no evidence that Malayagiri's Shabdanushasan was widely studied or used for teaching. This is why its manuscripts are not as numerous as those of Siddha-Hem. Nevertheless, Acharya Kshemakirti, in the introduction to his commentary on the Brihatkalpa Sutra, specifically mentions Malayagiri's Shabdanushasan in a passage that suggests it had a significant influence among scholars.

Due to the incomplete nature of the grammar, it is impossible to ascertain the specific details Malayagiri might have included in his concluding colophon. However, in the introductory colophon, he identifies himself as an "Acharya" with the phrase "Tamangala Vidhanah Paripurnam Alpagrantham Laghupay Aha Acharyo Malayagrihah Shabdanushasanam Arabhate Masemasa," which is a unique self-identification not found in his other works.

The article concludes by stating that this brief note on Acharya Malayagiri's Shabdanushasan is provided for those seeking a concise yet significant introduction to his life. For a more detailed biographical account, the author recommends a Gujarati preface written by him for the "Satya-Saptati" published by Shri Jain Atmanand Sabha, Bhavnagar.

The article is attributed to the journal "Shri Jain Satya Prakash," issue 12, Bhadar-Aaso, Samvat 1997.

Note: The numbered footnote clarifies that the nine padas of the "Nama" section include the chapters on Linga (gender), Strīpratyaya (feminine suffixes), Karak (case), and Samasa (compounds).