Kuvalayamala And Modern Scholarship

This document, "The Kuvalayamala and Modern Scholarship" by A. N. Upadhye, is a review of how modern scholars have studied the Kuvalayamālā, a significant Prakrit Campū work by Uddyotanasuri, dating back to A.D. 779.

The author highlights the importance of the Kuvalayamālā in Indian literature and notes that scholarly attention to it increased after a manuscript (Ms. P) was secured by the Government of Bombay and deposited in the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute.

The review then details the contributions of various scholars to the study of the Kuvalayamālā:

• Early Mentions: The Jaina Granthavali (1909) and Deccan College Lists are cited as early references to both the Prakrit Kuvalayamālā of Uddyotanasuri and a Sanskrit digest by Ratnaprabha. The document clarifies that an attribution of authorship to Indrasuri was based on a misreading.
• Ratnaprabhasuri's Digest: The Sanskrit digest of the Kuvalayamālā by Ratnaprabhasuri (circa 13th century A.D.), edited by Muni Chaturavijaya, is discussed. Its introduction provided extensive information about Uddyotana's work and noted that Haribhadra preceded Uddyotana, not being a contemporary of Siddharshi.
• Rajasekhara's Kavyamimamsa: The publication of Rajasekhara's Kavyamimamsa in 1916, which included extracts from the Kuvalayamālā, is mentioned as drawing further scholarly attention.
• Muni Jinavijaya's Work: Muni Jinavijaya's paper on "The Date of Haribhadrasuri" (1919) is presented as a crucial work. Jinavijaya scrutinized earlier views on Haribhadra's dates, examined traditional biographical sources, and used an extract from the Kuvalayamālā to argue that Haribhadra, author of the Samarādityakathā, must have lived no later than A.D. 778. He also assigned Haribhadra to the period A.D. 700-770 based on further Kuvalayamālā extracts.
• Brhattippanikā and Jaisalmer Catalogue: The author refers to the Brhattippanikā (A.D. 1383), an old list of Jaina works, and the Catalogue of Manuscripts in the Jaina Bhandars at Jaisalmer (1923) as important sources of information about Kuvalayamālā manuscripts.
• H. Jacobi's Edition: H. Jacobi's 1926 edition of Haribhadra's Samarāiccakahā is highlighted for its discussion on the Kuvalayamālā's completion date, which Jacobi ascertained as March 21, A.D. 779.
• Jinavijaya's Gujarati Essay: Jinavijaya's extensive Gujarati essay on the Kuvalayamālā (1927) is praised for outlining Jaina narrative literature, detailing works like Padalipta's Tarangavai and Haribhadra's Samarāïccakahā, and reviewing controversies surrounding Haribhadra's date. This essay provided an account of the Kuvalayamālā based on manuscripts from Jaisalmer and Poona, including a translation of its Prashasti with commentary on historical references.
• L. B. Gandhi's Contributions: Pt. L. B. Gandhi's 1927 edition of Apabhramsa works is noted for its appended essay on the Apabhramsa language, which included detailed discussions of the Prakrit Kuvalayamālā and quotes from its Jaisalmer manuscript. Gandhi is credited with publishing important extracts from the Jaisalmer manuscript.
• A. Master's Linguistic Studies: A. Master's papers on the "Mysterious Paisaci" and "An Unpublished Fragment of Paisaci" are discussed, focusing on his critical text, translation, and grammatical notes on the Paisaci passages in the Kuvalayamālā.
• F. B. J. Kuiper's Research: F. B. J. Kuiper's 1957 paper on a Paisaci fragment of the Kuvalayamālā is mentioned, detailing his grammatical analysis, translation, and commentary on a passage from manuscript P.

In essence, Upadhye's text serves as a bibliographic survey of scholarly engagement with the Kuvalayamālā, tracing its critical reception, manuscript discoveries, and the increasing understanding of its historical and linguistic significance through the work of various scholars in the field.