Sabdabrahmollasa Of Udayprabha

Here is a comprehensive summary of the provided Jain text about Udayaprabha's Śabdabrahmollāsa:

The Śabdabrahmollāsa is a work by Udayaprabha, a Jain Śūri (a learned monk and teacher) from the Nāgendragaccha. He was a contemporary of Vastupāla, a minister in Gujarat during the 13th century AD. While Udayaprabha is known for longer works containing myths, genealogies, stories, doctrines, and moralistic fables, the Śabdabrahmollāsa as currently available consists of 47 verses that function as a stotra (hymn or prayer).

The title of the work is inferred from the second verse, and this inference is considered justifiable given Udayaprabha's practice of mentioning his other works within them. However, the precise nature of the Śabdabrahmollāsa remains somewhat uncertain.

One possibility, suggested by Sandesara, is that it was a treatise on the nature of grammar. While Udayaprabha does use terminology reminiscent of philosophers of language like Bhartrihari in the initial verses, this linguistic philosophical discourse is not consistently maintained throughout the extant text. Furthermore, Udayaprabha's other works do not strongly indicate a deep interest in the philosophy of grammar or language.

A more likely interpretation is that the Śabdabrahmollāsa is primarily a stotra composed to celebrate the manifestation of the highest principle through speech. The existing verses seem to embody this spirit. Udayaprabha deliberately uses words with sectarian flavor to convey the idea that these diverse terms ultimately refer to the same highest principle.

This tendency to identify the Jina or the Arhattattva (the enlightened being) with the highest principles of other philosophical systems is present in the works of other Jain scholars as well, dating back to figures like Siddhasena Divakara and Samantabhadra. Examples include verses in the Bhaktamarastotra and works by Haribhadrasūri and Nayavimala.

However, Udayaprabha's approach is more profound than a mere passing remark. He seems to be expressing a consciously cultivated view on the role of language in speaking about the ultimate reality. It is speculated that this view might have been elaborated in the lost portions of the Śabdabrahmollāsa. This guess is supported by Udayaprabha's engagement with the grammatical principle "sarvārthavācakāḥ sarve śabdaḥ" (all words signify all meanings), which he seems to test or explore in many of the available verses. The conscious synthesis of religious and theoretical distinctions is what makes the extant Śabdabrahmollāsa particularly interesting.

The style of the surviving fragment is described as simple and lucid. The metre used is anuṣṭubh, Udayaprabha's favored meter. It employs a few simple sound figures of speech (śabdālamkāra) like yamaka (repetition of syllables) and anuprāsa (alliteration), along with standard figures of speech for meaning (arthālamkāra) such as rūpaka (metaphor). This stylistic approach differs from Udayaprabha's other works, like the Sukrtakallolini, where he utilizes a greater variety of classical meters and more elaborate figures of speech.

The only known manuscript of the work is on palm leaves. It was originally housed in the Khetaravasi Bhandar in Patan and is now located in the Śrī Hemacandrācārya Jaina Jñānamandira, also in Patan. The text was deciphered from a photostat copy, with assistance from Professor D. D. Malvania and Dr. N. M. Kansara for certain readings.

The manuscript's condition is noted: while older descriptions mention 14 leaves and 49 verses, the current manuscript has 13 leaves and 47 verses, suggesting a loss of one leaf. Parts of the manuscript are illegible due to damage or smudging, particularly the front of the eighth leaf and the back of the seventh. The lettering varies in size, and there are some inconsistencies in spelling and the use of anusvāras.

The provided verses themselves offer devotional praise, invoking and equating various divine and philosophical concepts with the ultimate reality. They address deities and principles, emphasizing their omnipresence, power, and the path to liberation. The hymns highlight the ultimate unity of diverse concepts and the importance of true devotion and knowledge.