Shravak Kavi Rushabhdas

Here is a comprehensive summary of the provided Jain text about Shravak Kavi Rushabhdas:

The book "Shravak Kavi Rushabhdas" by Chimanlal M. Shah highlights the significant contribution of Rushabhdas, a 17th-century Jain lay poet from Khambhat (Anahillapataka), to medieval Gujarati literature. While Jain monastic poets were numerous, lay poets were rare, and Rushabhdas holds a distinguished place among them. His stature is comparable to prominent non-Jain poets like Premanand, Shaml, and Akho, and he is placed on par with his contemporary Jain poets Nayasundar and Samayasundar.

Rushabhdas belonged to the Visa Praagvanshi (Porwad) Jain community of Khambhat. His father was Sangan, and his mother was Sarupade. His paternal grandfather, Mahiraj, was a native of Visnagar, a town founded by Visaldev Chavda in 1064 AD. Mahiraj was a patron of religious pilgrimages and had earned the title of 'Sanghavi' after organizing pilgrimages to Shatrunjaya, Girnar, Junagadh, Abu, and Delwada. Rushabhdas's father, Sangan, also followed in his father's footsteps by organizing foot pilgrimages to Jain holy sites. Sangan moved to Khambhat for his business and achieved considerable success and wealth there.

Kavi Rushabhdas was a prolific writer, composing around 35 major poetic works and 400 lyrical pieces, stanzas, praise poems (stavan), and devotional hymns (thoyos/stutis). His writings offer a vivid and accurate portrayal of Khambhat in the 17th century, shedding light on the social, political, and cultural aspects of the time, including people's attire and customs. He mentions various names for Khambhat in his works, such as Khambhanagar, Rushabhnagar, Trambavati, Bhogavati, Lilavati, and Karnavati. His works provide descriptions of Khambhat during the reigns of Mughal emperors Jahangir and Shah Jahan. In his "Rishabhdev Ras," he describes Trambavati (Khambhat) as a prosperous city with noble men and women, numerous ships and warehouses, a thriving merchant community, and the beautiful sea waves. He notes the city's fort, gates, 85 tall Jain temples (prasad), and 42 guest houses (paushadhshala).

Notable works by Rushabhdas that contain detailed descriptions of Khambhat include "Hitshiksha Ras" (1626), "Mallinath Ras" (1629), and "Hiravijaysuri Ras" (1629). "Shrenik Ras" (1682) and "Bharat Bahubali Ras" (1622) also feature accurate depictions of the city.

Deeply religious, Rushabhdas was a devout devotee of the Arhats and an active lay follower. Like his father and grandfather who organized religious congregations (sangh), Rushabhdas also undertook pilgrimages to Shatrunjaya, Girnar, and Shankheshwar and taught many bright students. He possessed a strong command of Sanskrit, Prakrit, and other literary traditions, making him a learned, studious, and cultured personality. His virtuous conduct and ideals earned him great admiration among Jain monks and lay followers. He took pride in identifying himself as a devout layperson and strictly adhered to the principles of Jain lay conduct. He regularly performed religious rituals such as saluting monks, worshipping Jinendra, listening to sermons, and self-study. In "Hitshiksha Ras," he describes his daily adherence to religious practices, including reciting scriptures, observing vows, performing penance, and upholding the 14 rules of lay followers. He also mentions daily visits to ten temples, offering consecrated rice, and observing fasts. He also expresses his commitment to avoiding forbidden foods and actions.

Rushabhdas was a wealthy householder with a virtuous wife, a sister, a brother, and several children. His household was prosperous, with dairy animals and financial abundance. His family was large, united, and lived a religious and happy life. His sons were well-behaved. His possessions included horses, cattle, bullocks, carts, and chariots. He enjoyed a high reputation among people and held respect in royal courts. His residence was in a well-situated and clean locality, and many people looked to him for support and guidance. He was generous and helped many, living a life of comfort. These aspects of his life are detailed in his works like "Vrat Vichar Ras," "Kumar Pal Ras," "Hitshiksha Ras," and "Hiravijaysuri Ras."

Rushabhdas was a follower of the Tapa Gaccha lineage of the Murtipujak Shvetambara Visa Porwad Jains. During his time, Hiravijaysuri, who had enlightened Emperor Akbar, was the 58th pontiff of this Gaccha. Hiravijaysuri passed away in 1596 AD, when Rushabhdas was around 21 years old. His successor, Vijayansuri, who received the title 'Savai Jagadguru' from Emperor Akbar, was accepted as Rushabhdas's guru. Rushabhdas studied under Vijayansuri and praised him extensively in his works. In his "Neminath Rajimati Stavan," he identifies himself as a disciple of Sri Vijayansuri.

A legend states that Rushabhdas became a great scholar after receiving a 'prasad' (sweet) from Saraswati, bestowed upon Vijayansuri for another disciple. Regardless of the legend, Rushabhdas consistently paid homage to Goddess Saraswati in his writings, acknowledging her blessings. He composed around 34 "Ras" works and 58 "Stavan" works. To date, approximately forty of his compositions have been identified, including "Rishabhdev Ras," "Vrat Vichar Ras," "Sthulibhadra Ras," "Sumitra Rajarshi Ras," "Kumar Pal Ras," "Navatattva Ras," "Jiv Vichar Ras," "Ajakumar Ras," "Bharat Bahubali Ras," "Samkit Sar Ras," "Kshetra Samas Ras," "Upadesh Mala Ras," "Hitshiksha Ras," "Pujavidhi Ras," "Jivantswami Ras," "Shrenik Ras," "Kayavan Ras," "Hiravijaysuri na Bar Bol no Ras," "Mallinath Ras," "Hiravijaysuri Ras," "Vissthanak Tap Ras," "Abhaykumar Ras," "Rohiniya Ras," "Samaisrup Ras," "Devguru Swarup Ras," "Kumar Pal no Nano Ras," "Shraddhavidhi Ras," "Ardra Kumar Ras," "Punyaprasansha Ras," "Virsen no Ras," "Shatrunjay Ras," and "Shilshiksha Ras."

Besides his "Ras" compositions, he also wrote shorter literary works like "Neminath Navraso," "Adinath Alochan Stavan," "Adinath Vivahalo," "Barara Stavan," "Chovis Jin Namaskar," "Tirthankar Chovis na Kavita," and "Mahavir Namaskar." He also composed 33 other stavan, 32 namaskar, 42 thoyos, 400 subhashitas, 41 songs, 5 hariyali, and several didactic sijjhayos.

There is limited specific information available about Rushabhdas's birth and death dates. However, the dates of his earliest and latest works help determine his lifespan. His first known literary work, "Rishabhdev Ras," was composed in 1662 AD (1606 AD). Considering that some of his other works, without specified dates, might predate "Rishabhdev Ras," his literary activities likely began around 1601 AD (early 17th century). This places him in the later period of Nayasundar's writing and around the same time as Samayasundar. Estimating his life to be 25 years for childhood, education, and literary immersion, he would have been around 26 years old when he started writing in 1601 AD, suggesting a birth year around 1575 AD. This would place his birth about 23 years after Nayasundar and 21 years after Samayasundar. His last dated work, "Rohiniya Ras," was composed in 1688 AD (1632 AD), and he may have written a couple more works thereafter. His literary activities can be considered to have continued until around 1634 AD, with his death occurring no earlier than 1635 AD. Rushabhdas's death can be placed after Nayasundar's demise and before Samayasundar's. Based on this, his lifespan would be at least 60 years (1575-1635 AD), and his writing period spanned from 1601 to 1634 AD (34 years).

Rushabhdas's works exhibit a high level of poetic skill and unique talent. As a lay poet, his language is more modern and less rigid than that of monastic poets. The continued use of his stavan, sijjhayos, and other devotional pieces by Jain householders and monks today attests to his enduring popularity. Even after nearly four and a half centuries, the reverence with which Jains remember this saintly poet is a testament to his exceptional creative power. Thus, Kavi Rushabhdas is a significant creator in medieval Gujarati literature, deserving of pride for his extensive and distinctive contributions.