Punya Sholak Vastupal Na Jivan Uper Ketlok Prakash

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The book, "Punya sholak Vastupal na Jivan uper Ketlok Prakash" by Kaniyalal B Dave, aims to shed light on lesser-known aspects of the life of Vastupal, a renowned figure in Gujarat's history. While Vastupal is widely celebrated as a lover of literature, a great Sanskrit scholar, a generous philanthropist akin to Kubera and Karna, and a valiant warrior, the author notes that extensive literary works like poems, prabandhas, rasas, and biographies have already been written about his public life. These works praise his exceptional virtues and present many facts about his life, but Vastupal's private life and certain other facets remain largely untouched.

The author posits that scholars might have found the ordinary details of such a great personality unworthy of recording, leaving some aspects of his life undiscussed.

The book begins by referencing Vastupal's ancestry, stating that his father and grandfather resided in Patan. It mentions Chandap as an important ancestor from whom his lineage began. Kavikumar Someshwar, in his work Kirtikaumudi, describes Vastupal's family, suggesting they held significant political positions during the reign of the Chalukyas, referring to them all as ministers. The author emphasizes that since Someshwar was a close friend and a learned poet of Vastupal, the facts presented by him are highly reliable, indicating that Vastupal's ancestors lived in Anhilpur.

However, Jinharsa's Vastupalcharitra suggests that Vastupal lived in the village of Samhalaka with his father, Ashraj. While Jinharsa's work, composed two centuries after Vastupal's demise, is considered a detailed biographical account and includes many unique facts not found elsewhere, the author questions why Vastupal, after his father's death, moved to Mandal with his mother if Samhalaka was a village gifted to his father by the Chalukyas. The text also notes that the location of Samhalaka is unknown.

An ancient prabandha about Vastupal and Tejpal mentions Ashraj running a cloth shop in Malasamudra. Although this work was written much later (four to five hundred years after), the author suggests it might hold some truth as ancient prabandha writers and rasa poets often incorporated popular local facts. "Malasamudra" is identified as the present-day Malsund village, located about 8-10 miles from Patan, near Adiya.

While contemporary poets like Someshwar identified Vastupal as a resident of Patan and his ancestors as ministers in Chalukyan departments, the author infers that his ancestors likely migrated from a village. The differing mentions of Samhalaka and Malasamudra might indicate that if business wasn't thriving in their original village of Samhalaka, they might have resided in a larger nearby village like Malasamudra for trade. The author speculates that Savala village, near Adiya, might be the ancient Samhalaka, as Vastupal is recorded to have built a Jain temple there, according to a eulogy by Maldhari Narendrprabhsuri. The surrounding high mounds further support this theory. The author concludes that it's natural for contemporary scholars to omit the fact that Vastupal's ancestors were village dwellers when glorifying a great minister and philanthropist.

The text further delves into Vastupal's family life, referencing his brothers Lunig, Maldev, and Tejpal. Lunig died in childhood. He had seven sisters. Information about his brothers' wives and children is also provided, citing inscriptions on Mount Abu, particularly the Loonavasahi inscription. The author notes that statues of Vastupal's family members, including his son Jaitrasinh (Jayantsinh) and his three wives, are installed in the temple's elephant stable.

Interestingly, the author points out that some village names near the suspected original village of Savala (Samhalaka) – Jammanpur, Rupapur, Chandromanpur – bear resemblance to the names of Vastupal's family members (Jamnadevi, Rupadevi, Chandap/Chandrapasad). This suggests that Vastupal or his descendants might have founded new villages and named them in memory of their family. Chandromanpur is identified as the current Chandrabhanoo village, not far from Samhalaka or Savala. The author acknowledges the lack of direct historical proof for this but suggests it aligns with the customs of the time, where prominent individuals named places after themselves or their family members.

The book then discusses Vastupal's father, Ashraj, and his move to Mandal with Kumaradevi. The author explains that remarriage, especially among higher social strata like merchants and Brahmins, was considered a significant stigma in that era, forcing Ashraj to relocate. This highlights the strict moral regulations prevalent in society at that time.

Despite being a devout Jain, Vastupal held deep affection and respect for all religions. While inter-religious conflicts might have occurred, the author suggests there wasn't significant animosity among learned individuals. The text mentions the practice of giving and taking daughters between Jain and Maheshwari communities, and even instances where brothers within the same family followed different religious traditions.

A particular anecdote illustrates this: a Jain Acharya (Vijaysensuri) visited Vastupal's house and felt offended when Vastupal, engrossed in intellectual discussion with scholars, didn't immediately come to pay his respects. Upon learning this, Vastupal apologized, and the Acharya advised him to abandon "vain discussions." The author interprets this incident as reflecting the intolerance of some rigid religious proponents of that era, but also emphasizes Vastupal's broad-mindedness in maintaining a large circle of both Jain and non-Jain scholars.

Vastupal actively participated in the festivals and religious activities of various communities, as evidenced by his participation in the victory celebration at the Ekalviramata temple. He also offered assistance to people of all faiths. The author cites Someshwar's observation that Vastupal, while devoted to Neminath, also worshipped Shankar and Keshav and generously donated to followers of the Vedic religion, despite being Jain.

The book highlights Vastupal's extensive philanthropy, which extended beyond Gujarat to numerous pilgrimage sites across India. His donations are said to have reached as far south as Shri, west to Prabhas, north to Kedarnath, and east to Kashi. While some accounts of annual donations to temples like Somnath, Vishwanath, Dwarka, and Prayagraj might be exaggerated, the author believes that Vastupal certainly provided some assistance to these prominent temples.

The text mentions that Vastupal established 700 Brahmasalas, 700 guest houses, provided for 700 ascetics and Kapalikas, built 3002 Shiva temples, and honored 500 Vedic scholars. He also constructed 84 lakes, over 464 step-wells, 32 stone pathways, and 64 mosques. While acknowledging the potential for exaggeration in these numbers, the author finds them credible, given they are attributed to learned scholars like Jinhaprabhsuri. The author emphasizes that the fact that Jain scholars recorded such extensive charitable activities for other religions serves as irrefutable proof of Vastupal's universal religious sentiment.

Several other Jain biographical works on Vastupal are mentioned, including Alankarmohoddadhi, Vastupalprashasti, Vastupalcharitra, Vasantvilas, Sukrutkeerti Kallolini, and Sutasankeertan, which detail his charitable deeds for non-Jain faiths. These include:

• Donating golden finials and establishing idols at the Bhimeshwar temple in Khambhat.
• Building a Vastuthanpatta and donating a golden garland at the sun temple of Bhattaditya.
• Constructing a well at the forest temple of Bhattarkavahak.
• Building a pavilion at the Bakulswami sun temple.
• Renovating the Vaidyanath temple and its pavilion.
• Constructing pavilions for offering buttermilk and yogurt.
• Building structures for prapas (drinking water stalls).
• Renovating the Bhattarkaranak (sun temple).
• Building a lake near Ankewalia village.
• Constructing the Lalitasarovara lake for his wife's well-being near Palitana.
• Re-installing twenty-one golden finials at the Vaidyanath Shiva temple in Dabhoi, which were taken by the King of Malwa, and establishing a sun image.
• Building a dharmashala in Dholka.
• Constructing the Bodha Valinath temple in Neerindra village.
• Building prapas at Umashav and Bedarkup.
• Constructing the Vatsavitri temple near the Bhimeshwar Mahadev temple in Khambhat.
• Constructing the Ambamata temple in Kasindra.
• Building the Bhuvanpal Shiva temple and installing images of the Dikpalas (guardians of the directions) and a Devi temple within its courtyard.
• Building a Shiva temple and a prapaa for his brother Maldev in Ankewalia village.
• Renovating the Bhavnath temple in Vasapath and constructing Kalmegh and Ashwin mandaps for the Kshetrapal temple.
• Building a grand step-well named Swayamvar in Khambhat.
• Constructing a marble Vrishabhandapika (bull pavilion) near Rajagriha, a two-story Nandimandap with golden finials.
• Building the Veereshwar temple of Rana Viradhaval in Kalakshetra at the confluence of the Or and Revā rivers.
• Establishing five monasteries with all amenities for ascetics in Kumbheshwar Tirth.
• Constructing a pavilion, torana (archway), and gateway for the Ganeshwara temple in Ganeshpur village.
• Installing the Pratiradeviji statue inside the temple of Jayaditya in Nagara village near Khambhat.
• Waiving the taxes collected from pilgrims to Dwarka.
• Worshipping Somnath and performing tuladaan (a ritual of weighing oneself against gold and donating it) at Priyamelaka Tirtha during his pilgrimage to Shatrunjaya, Girnar, and Prabhas, and donating gold and jewelry to Brahmins.
• Donating ten thousand kampa to the Shaiva Tirth of Prabhas.

In conclusion, the author states that while numerous works discuss Vastupal's public life, this essay attempts to shed light on aspects of his private life, his ancestral village, specific family members, and his universal religious sentiment towards all faiths, based on available historical evidence, even if scholars haven't extensively analyzed these areas. The text emphasizes Vastupal's immense generosity, spending millions of rupees on continuous charitable activities and liberally contributing to non-Jain faiths, demonstrating his broad-mindedness. The concluding quote from Puratanprabandhsangraha beautifully encapsulates this: "Vastupal is Buddhist among Buddhists, a devotee of Vishnu among Vaishnavas, a Shaiva among Shaivas, a practitioner of Yoga among Yogis, a complete devotee of Jinendra among Jains; he worships all gods and praises all deities."