Kavi Paramesvara Or Paramessthi

Here's a comprehensive summary of the provided Jain text, focusing on the "Kavi Paramesvara Or Paramesthi" section:

The paper, "Kavi Parameśvara Or Parameṣṭhi" by Dr. A. N. Upadhye, aims to consolidate available information about a celebrated yet obscure figure in Indian literature, Kavi Parameśvara (or Parameṣṭhi). The author draws primarily from Kannada and Sanskrit literature to piece together the identity and achievements of this poet.

Key Information and Citations:

• Early Mentions and Reverence: Eminent Kannada poets like Adi Pampa (c. 911 AD), Abhinava Pampa (c. 1100 AD), Nayasena (1112 AD), Aggaḷa (1189), and Kamalabhava (c. 1235) respectfully refer to Kavi Parameṣṭhi. They often mention him alongside other prominent Jaina figures like Samantabhadra (a logician-poet) and Pujyapāda (a grammarian). Adi Pampa even calls him "jagat-prasiddha" (world-famous).
• Descriptions of his Work and Qualities:
  • Gunavarma II (c. 1235 AD) describes Kavi Parameśvara as having a beautiful mouth with unparalleled speech, praised by scholars, almost like Para-brahman, and a "purāna-purusa" (ancient being).
  • Pārśvapandita (1205 AD) calls him "guna-jyestha" (pre-eminent in virtues).
  • Nemicandra (c. 1170 AD) states that Kavi Parameśvara wrote a purāṇa glorifying the 24 Tirthankaras, and that even Brahman and Sarasvati were attendant upon his glory.
  • Civuṇḍarāya (978 AD) explicitly mentions that Kavi Parameśvara wrote a "Trisasti śalākā-puruṣa-purna" (a purana about the 63 illustrious personages). Civuṇḍarāya also notes that his own Kannada work follows the compositions of Kavi Parameśvara, whom he calls "jināgamātilaka," "Jinasena," and "Guṇabhadra."
  • Guṇabhadra (mid-9th century AD), at the end of his Uttarapurāṇa, states that the Adipurāṇa composed by his teacher Jinasena was based on Kavi Parameśvara's "gadya-kathā" (prose narrative).
  • Jinasena (c. 837 AD) respectfully refers to Kavi Parameśvara as the compiler of the entire purāṇa, possibly under the title "Vāgarthasangraha." He calls him "the foremost among poets" and implies he compiled a comprehensive work.
• Inscriptional Evidence: The Humch inscription of 1077 AD also mentions Kavi Paramasthi alongside other Jaina teachers and authors, corroborating his recognized status.
• Summary of Kavi Parameśvara's Persona and Work: Based on these references, Kavi Parameśvara emerges as a renowned, authoritative poet with exceptional mastery of expression. He is credited with composing a purāṇa detailing the lives of the 63 Śalākā-puruṣas. This work was a "gadya-kathā" (prose narrative) that served as the foundation for Jinasena's Adipurāṇa, and Jinasena referred to it as "Vāgartha-samgraha." Civuṇḍarāya also utilized his work for his Kannada composition. His ranking alongside Samantabhadra and Pujyapāda highlights his scholarly significance.
• Dating and Availability: While his exact date is uncertain, he definitely flourished before Jinasena (who completed his Jayadhavală in 837 AD). R. Narasimhachary tentatively places him around 550 AD, but this is considered conjecture due to a lack of definitive evidence. To date, no manuscript of Kavi Parameśvara's work has been traced in library collections, though the author believes there's a good chance of discovery in unexplored Southern collections.
• Quotations: The paper includes several Sanskrit verses attributed to Kavi Parameśvara, found in the Cāmuṇḍarāyapurāṇa. These verses discuss various topics, including the attainment of spiritual goals, the importance of renouncing anger, greed, and falsehood, and the king's duty to uphold dharma. The author notes that it's unclear if only the opening verse belongs to Kavi Parameśvara or all of them, and points out a potentially corrupt and metrically defective verse.
• Prose vs. Verse: A point of discussion arises from Guṇabhadra's description of Kavi Parameśvara's work as "gadya-kathā" (prose narrative) while the quotations are in Sanskrit verse. The author suggests it might have been a prose work with interspersed verses, and Civuṇḍarāya might have quoted only the verse portions.

In essence, the paper reconstructs the profile of Kavi Parameśvara as a highly respected and influential Jaina poet from the 9th to 13th centuries, whose foundational work on the 63 illustrious personages served as a crucial source for later important Jaina texts, even though his original work remains undiscovered.