Kriyagarbhit Chaturvinshati Jinastuti

Here's a comprehensive summary of the Jain text "Kriyagarbhit Chaturvinshati Jinastuti" by Sagarachandra, based on the provided pages:

Title: Kriyagarbhit Chaturvinshati Jinastuti (Twenty-Four Jinas Praised with Hidden Actions) Author: Sagarachandra Editors/Publishers: M.A. Dhaky, Jitendra B. Shah Source Material: The text has been edited based on three manuscripts: 1. A collection of hymns compiled by the late Muni Punyavijayji (source not specified by the Muni). 2. A manuscript on paper from the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, Pune (No. 259/A-1882-83), dating back to the 17th century. 3. A manuscript from the Lalbhai Dalpatbhai Bharatiya Sanskriti Vidyamandir, Ahmedabad (Collection No. 885), believed to be from the 15th-16th century.

Content and Style:

• The work is a hymn of praise dedicated to the twenty-four Tirthankaras (Jinas).
• The author, Sagarachandra, is identified as an expert in poetry composition, prosody (Chhandashastra), and rhetoric (Alankashastra).
• The hymn is composed of 25 verses (padyas).
• A remarkable feature is the use of 24 different meters (Chhandas), with each verse (except the last two, which are in Shardulavikridita) composed in a unique meter. The names of the meters are recorded in the original manuscripts.
• A key characteristic, reflected in the title "Kriyagarbhit," is the concealment of verbs. The poet demonstrates his skill by subtly implying actions without explicitly stating them.
• The hymn is considered a significant devotional composition of the medieval period due to its poetic structure, aesthetic beauty, profound meaning, fluidity, and charming expression.
• The author reveals his name, "Sagarachandra," in the final verse but does not provide information about his guru or lineage (Gachchha).

Authorship and Dating: The editors engage in a discussion to identify the specific Sagarachandra who authored this hymn, as several Jain monks bore this name during the medieval period. They consider the following possibilities:

1. Sagarachandra, disciple of Govindasuri (Agnatagachchhiya): Praised King Jayasinghadeva Siddharaja in a work and lived in the early 12th century CE. This initially seems plausible due to the poetic mastery and the potential for the author to have referred to himself as learned ("vidvan").
2. Sagarachandra, disciple of Hemachandrasuri (Parnatalagachchhiya): A later medieval account mentions him as a disciple who impressed King Kumarpala with his poetry and charm. His period is estimated to be around 1150-1175 CE.
3. Sagarachandra, guru of Manikyanandasuri (Rajagachchhiya): Lived towards the end of the 12th century CE.
4. Sagarachandra, disciple of Vardhamanasuri (Nagendragachchhiya): An Apabhramsa composition by him has been recently found, dating to the third quarter of the 13th century CE.
5. Author of a Tantric hymn related to Parshvanatha: Believed to have lived between the 13th and 15th centuries CE.

Conclusion on Authorship: While Sagarachandra, the contemporary of Siddharaja, initially appears likely due to the hymn's sophistication and the implied self-reference to being learned, a stronger connection is made to Sagarachandra, the disciple of Hemachandrasuri.

This conclusion is based on a 14th-century CE chronicle, the Chaturashiti Prabandha, which mentions a learned disciple named Sagarachandra of Hemachandracharya. This Sagarachandra composed a "Kriyaguruk Chaturvinshatinamaskara Stava," which was recited during evening rituals. King Kumarpala was so impressed upon hearing it that he exclaimed, "Aha! Poetry! Aha! Charm!" The hymn described in the Prabandha appears to be the very one being edited here. If the chronicler did not mistakenly attribute the hymn to Kumarpala instead of Siddharaja, then the composition date would be around 1150-1160 CE. Given that Siddharaja was childless, and Kumarpala may not have had a surviving son at that stage, it is more fitting to consider this hymn as the work of Sagarachandra, the disciple of Hemachandra.

Editorial Notes:

• The editors acknowledge the assistance of Magendranath and Amrut Patel in collating the three manuscripts to prepare the text.
• References are provided to scholarly works that discuss Sagarachandra and his literary contributions.

Overall: The "Kriyagarbhit Chaturvinshati Jinastuti" is a highly accomplished devotional work characterized by its complex metrical structure, innovative use of veiled verbs, and profound poetic expression. The scholarly editors have meticulously worked to establish a purified text and have thoroughly investigated the identity of the author, Sagarachandra, ultimately leaning towards him being a disciple of the renowned Hemachandrasuri.