Jain Meghdutam Ka Samikshatmaka Adhyayan

This document is a dissertation titled "A Critical Study of Jain Meghadutam by Acharya Merutungacharya" by Sima Dwivedi, submitted to Allahabad University for a D.Phil. degree, with Professor Rajlakshmi Verma as the supervisor. The work, published by Allahabad University in 2002, aims to provide a comprehensive critical analysis of the Jain Meghadutam, a significant work within the tradition of Sanskrit 'duta' (messenger) poetry.

The dissertation is structured into eight chapters:

1. The Tradition of Duta Poetry: This chapter delves into the etymology and historical evolution of messenger poetry, tracing its roots from the Vedic period through the epics and Puranas to the Buddhist and Jain traditions. It discusses the classification of duta poems into Jain and non-Jain categories.
2. Personality and Works of Acharya Merutungacharya: This chapter focuses on the author, Acharya Merutungacharya, exploring his life, historical period, significant life events, and his notable contributions to literature.
3. Plot and Characterization: This chapter analyzes the narrative structure and the style of character portrayal in Jain Meghadutam.
4. Ras Yojana (Aesthetic Sentiment) in Jain Meghadutam: This chapter examines the deployment of aesthetic sentiments (rasas) in the poem, discussing the nature of rasa, its principles according to various scholars, and the specific depiction of sentiments in Jain Meghadutam, including the dominant and subordinate rasas.
5. Poetic Craft (Kavya Shilpa): This chapter critically evaluates Acharya Merutungacharya's poetry in terms of language, style (guna and riti), use of figures of speech (alankara), and meter (chhanda).
6. Poetic Beauty (Kavya Saundarya): This chapter explores the aesthetic qualities of the poem, focusing on nature depiction, imagery (bimba vidhan), and the distinctive features of the emotional and artistic aspects that enhance the poem's beauty.
7. Outlook on Life and Life Values: This chapter investigates the poet's worldview and the values embedded in the poem, specifically how Jain principles are integrated into the narrative, emphasizing the poem's focus on the ultimate goal of life (moksha) from a Jain perspective.
8. Evaluation: The concluding chapter provides a comprehensive review of Acharya Merutungacharya as a poet and offers a concise assessment of his poetic contributions.

The dissertation's introduction highlights the significant contribution of Jain poets to Sanskrit literature, particularly in the genre of duta poetry, which often explores themes of love and separation. While Kalidasa's Meghadutam is the most renowned, Jain poets like Acharya Merutungacharya composed independent works like Jain Meghadutam, which, while utilizing the theme of separation (vipralambha shrungar), ultimately resolves into tranquility (shanta rasa) and is grounded in the Jain pursuit of liberation (moksha).

The extensive bibliography lists numerous Sanskrit works and scholarly studies that were consulted, covering various aspects of duta poetry, Jain literature, poetics, and the works of Acharya Merutungacharya, indicating the thorough research undertaken for this dissertation.