Saptasandhan Kavya Sankshipta Parichaya

Here's a comprehensive summary in English of the provided Jain text, "Saptasandhan Kavya Sankshipta Parichaya" by Vinaysagar, discussing the work of Mahopadhyay Meghavijay:

The article, written by Vinaysagar, introduces and provides a concise overview of the Saptasandhan Kavya (Seven-Fold Connection Epic) composed by Mahopadhyay Meghavijay. Meghavijay is presented as a highly distinguished and erudite scholar from the 18th century Vikram era, whose literary output spanned various fields without exception. His expertise covered epic poetry, poetic completion works, biographical texts, formal poetic letters, grammar, logic (Nyaya), palmistry (Samudrika), divination (Ramal), weather forecasting (Varshagyan), commentary works, devotional literature (Stotras), and astrology.

Meghavijay was a disciple of Shri Krupavijayji of the Tapagachchha tradition and held great reverence for the then Gachchhadhipatis, Shri Vijaydevsuriji and Shri Vijayprabhsuriji. His period of literary creation was from Vikram Samvat 1709 to 1760. The article highlights Meghavijay's extraordinary talent, particularly his ability to derive seven distinct meanings from the adjectives within a single verse in his Saptasandhan Kavya. This is contrasted with earlier poets who achieved dual meanings in their works. This remarkable feat demonstrates his unparalleled intellect and mastery over language.

The Saptasandhan Kavya was composed by Meghavijay in Vikram Samvat 1760. The author's stated purpose for creating this epic was to fulfill the desire of scholars, as the Saptasandhan Kavya composed by Acharya Hemchandrasuriji was unavailable. The epic comprises 8 cantos and a total of 442 verses. The name "Saptasandhan" is appropriate because each verse intricately weaves together the lives of seven great personalities: Rishabhadeva, Shantinatha, Neminatha, Parshvanatha, Mahavira, Ramachandra, and the Yaduvanshi Krishna.

Following the conventions of an epic, the poem also includes elegant descriptions of good and bad people, various regions, cities, and the six seasons. The narrative skillfully integrates the life events of these seven great men, which include five Tirthankaras, one Baladeva, and one Vasudeva. The common events mentioned for these figures include the names of their parents, birth cities, conception, dreams, pregnancy cravings, birth, birth celebrations, auspicious symbols, childhood pastimes, self-choice ceremonies (swayamvar), names of wives, battles, and coronations. For the five Tirthankaras, the epic details their worship by Lokantika deities, annual donations, initiation, austerities, breaking of fasts, attainment of omniscience, the creation of Samavasarana by gods, sermons, and nirvana. It also includes the dates of their five auspicious events (Kalyanaka). For Ramachandra and Krishna, it covers their victories in battles, universal sovereignty, and mentions of their salvation or heavenly abode.

The article provides specific examples of events mentioned in the epic:

• Adinatha's life: Bestowal of the kingdom to Bharata, service by Nami and Vinami, Bahubali's journey to Taxila in his un-enlightened state, Bharata's arrival in the Samavasarana, Bharata Chakravarti's conquest of the six continents, mentions of Magadha, the Sindhu River, Shilpatirtha, Tamisra cave, the Himalayas, the Ganga, border regions, Vidhyadhara regions, and the renunciation of the poet's sister Sundari.
• Shantinatha: Victory over Asuras and the six continents, leading to his status as Chakravarti.
• Neminatha: Renunciation by Rajimati.
• Mahavira: The event of embryo transfer.
• Rama: The coronation of Bharata, exile, destruction of Shambuka, killing of Vali, devotion of Hanuman, abduction of Sita, destruction of Jatayu, search for Sita, Vibhishana's change of allegiance, the war, killing of Ravana, abandonment of Sita, Sita's trial by fire, and Rama's renunciation. These are the major events of the Ramayana.
• Krishna: Killing of Kamsa, separation from Pradyumna, residence in Mathura, Pradyumna's abduction of Ushā, description of Dwarka, killing of Shishupala and Jarasandha, burning of Dwarka, renunciation of the body, and the wanderings and initiation of Balabhadra. These are the main events related to Krishna.

Furthermore, the epic incorporates the characters and events of the Mahabharata due to Krishna and Neminatha's connection with the Pandavas. This includes the lineage of the Pandavas, gambling, disrobing of Draupadi, exile in the forest, killing of Kichaka, valor of Abhimanyu, the Mahabharata war, and Duryodhana's destruction by Bhima.

The article emphasizes that the poet skillfully maintains the flow of the narrative without interruption by assigning a primary noun to each character and using the remaining words as adjectives. It notes the extreme difficulty in maintaining this seamless flow when dealing with ambiguous words and the need for dictionaries of synonyms and commentaries. An example is given of a single verse (1-54) that lists the fathers of all seven protagonists.

The verse illustrates how different interpretations are derived by taking various adjectives as pertaining to different fathers. For instance, in the context of Adinatha, the verse describes Nabhiraja as the ruler of the earth, Vishvasena as the lord of the entire army, Ashvasena as the lord of the cavalry, Dasharatha as celebrated in ten directions, Suresh as worshipped by gods, Balivijayasumudra as victorious over the powerful, possessing royal seals, Praudhasiddharthasajña as mature and wise, and Bhukashyapa as a protector like Prajapati on earth, whose Arunateja (brilliance) spread like the sun.

The article further explains that for Shantinatha, Neminatha, Parshvanatha, Mahavira, Ramachandra, and Krishna, different adjectives are understood to relate to them while considering their lineage in the Bhukashyapa dynasty, making them as brilliant as the sun. The Vasudeva, chosen as the main subject, is described with these adjectives.

The text also highlights the seamless integration of events like embryo transfer, as exemplified in verse 1-49. It states that Indra saw the divine part of the incarnated great souls, and the god Naigameshi quickly brought them to royal residences, causing prosperity. Seeing these great souls, complete with knowledge and virtues from the beginning, the gods themselves bowed in reverence, shedding their pride.

In the context of Mahavira, the verse implies that Naigameshi, after placing the embryo from Rishabhdatta's house into Siddharth's house and causing material prosperity, bowed to the Tirthankara named Vardhamana, who was complete with knowledge and virtues, shedding his pride.

The article concludes by mentioning the poet's success in describing the birth dates of all seven heroes in a single verse (2-16). It provides a breakdown of these dates, attributing them to specific Tirthankaras and kings, noting that these victors over passions were born.

The author commends Meghavijay for making his extremely complex composition, rich with polysemous and punning meanings, flowing and readable through his profound scholarship. The article notes that the original text was first edited by the late Nyayatirtha and Vyakarantirtha Pandit Hargovindadasji and published by Jain Vividh Sahitya Shastramala, Varanasi, in 1917. It also mentions that the commentary on this exceedingly difficult epic was also not an easy task. However, Acharya Shri Vijayamritsuriji wrote the "Sarani" commentary, making the work enjoyable and readable. This commentary was published by Jain Sahitya Vardhak Sabha, Surat, in Vikram Samvat 2000. The article suggests that readers can understand the poet's intent through this commentary.