Shadbhashamay Rushabhprabhu Stava Ke Karta Jinprabhsuri Hai

Here's a comprehensive summary in English of the provided Jain text, focusing on the authorship of the "Shadbhashamay Rushabhprabhu Stava":

Book Title: Shadbhashamay Rushabhprabhu Stava ke Karta Jinprabhsuri Hai Author: Vinaysagar Publisher: ZZ_Anusandhan Catalog Link: https://jainqq.org/explore/229606/1

This article, authored by Vinaysagar and published in "Anusandhan" (Research) magazine, addresses the authorship of the "Shadbhashamay / Ashtabhashamay Shri Rishabhprabhu Stava." The author expresses gratitude to Muni Shri Kalyankirtivijayji for publishing the stava with its commentary, noting his commendable effort in providing a corrected and pure text for researchers.

The core of the article is to dispute the editor's (Munishri Kalyankirtivijayji) hypothesis on page 10 of the publication that the author of the stava might be "Gyanratna." Vinaysagar argues this is not convincing.

Key Evidence Presented for Jinprabhsuri's Authorship:

• "Kavināmagarbha Chakra" (Cyrillic Poem) in Stanza 39: The author of the stava has embedded their name within the 39th stanza, which is a "Chakrabaddha Chitra Kavya" (circular picture poem). The article presents the specific arrangement of letters that, when read according to the rules of this poetic form, reveals the name "Shubhatilakakluptosau Bhashastava" (this language stava composed by Shubhatilak). The excerpt on page 1 shows a diagram illustrating this name embedding.

• "Gayatri Vivaran" (Commentary on Gayatri): The author, under the name Shubhatilak, also wrote a commentary on the Gayatri mantra. This is evidenced by a manuscript from the Abhay Jain Granthalaya, which explicitly states, "Chakre Shri Shubhatilakopadhyaihaih... Iti Shri Jinaprabhsuri virachitam Gayatri vivaranam samaptam" (Composed by Shri Shubhatilak Upadhyay... This is the end of the Gayatri Commentary composed by Shri Jinaprabhsuri). This commentary has also been published in the book "Artharatnavali," edited by Prof. Hiralal Rasikdas Kapadia.

• Acceptance by Later Scholars: Subsequent authors have consistently attributed both of these works (the Rishabhprabhu Stava and the Gayatri Vivaran) to Jinprabhsuri. This is why Vinaysagar himself, in his book "Shasan Prabhavak Acharya Jinprabh aur Unka Sahitya" (The Dynasty Influencing Acharya Jinprabh and His Literature), stated that Jinprabhsuri's initiation name was Shubhatilak, and he later became known as Jinprabhsuri upon becoming an Acharya.

• Manuscript Evidence:

  • A publication in "Prakaran Ratnakar Bhag - 2" (1933) titled "Niravadhiruchirgyanam" has a colophon (Pushpika) stating, "Iti Shri Jinaprabhsurivirachitam Ashtabhashatmakam Shri Rishabhdevastavanam samaptam" (Thus ends the Ashtabhashatmaka Shri Rishabhdevastavana composed by Shri Jinaprabhsuri).
  • A manuscript (No. 6754/1, dated VS 1583) at the Lalbhai Dalpatbhai Bharatiya Sanskriti Vidyamandir, Ahmedabad, compiled by Muni Raj Shri Punyavijayji, includes a commentary by Dayakirti Muni. The colophon of this commentary explicitly states it is an avachuri (commentary) of the "Bhashashtak Samyut Stava Avachuri" by Shri Jinaprabhsuri, whose former name was Shubhatilak. This indicates that the manuscript itself acknowledges Shubhatilak as the former name of Jinprabhsuri and attributes the work to him.

• Scholarly Consensus: Scholars like Shri Agarchandji Bhanwaralji Nahata, in his essay "Vidhimargaprappa Shasan Prabhavak Jinprabh," and Vinaysagar himself, in his book on Jinprabhsuri, have attributed this work to Jinprabhsuri. The existence of another work by Jinprabhsuri, the "Shadbhashamay Chandrapurabh Stotra," further strengthens the argument for him being the author of the Rishabhprabhu Stava.

Information about Acharya Jinprabhsuri:

The article also provides a brief biographical sketch of Acharya Jinprabhsuri, a prominent figure of the 14th century and a successor to Acharya Jinsinhsuri of the Laghu Kharatar branch. He is known for influencing Muhammad Tughlaq. His significant works include "Vividh Tirth Kalpa," "Vidhimargaprappa," and "Shrenik Charitra" (a Dvipadi Sandhan Kavya). Other scholars like Somdharma Gani and Shubhashil Gani also recognized his importance. His estimated life dates are: birth around 1318, initiation in 1326, Acharya position in 1341, and passing around 1390.

In conclusion, Vinaysagar firmly asserts, based on textual evidence and scholarly consensus, that the "Shadbhashamay Rushabhprabhu Stava" was composed by Acharya Jinprabhsuri, who was known by his earlier name, Shubhatilak.