जसहरचरिउ का काव्य-वैभव
By पुष्पदंत, परशुराम लक्ष्मण वैद्य, हीरालाल जैन
Summary
The text discusses the literary work "Jasaharachariu" by the great poet Pushpadanta, who lived in the 10th century CE in the Maharashtra-Karnataka region. His compositions, including Mahapurana and Raykumarachariu, were created in Manyakheta, the capital of the Rashtrakuta dynasty during the reign of Krishna Raja III. This period saw military campaigns, including an invasion of the Madras and Andhra regions and the defeat of the Chola king Rajaraja in 949 CE. However, twenty-three years later, in 972 CE, Paramara of Dhara sacked and burned Manyakheta. Pushpadanta's works reflect this era of rise and fall, with a possible reference to this calamity in the final chapter of the text, describing a time of distress, scarcity, and suffering. The poet acknowledges the support of the minister Nanna, who provided him with sustenance and encouragement during this difficult period. The narrative centers on King Yashodhara of Ujjain and his mother Chandramati, who sacrifice a rooster to a goddess, leading to their deaths from poisoned food. They undergo multiple rebirths as various animals, including peacocks, dogs, mongooses, snakes, fish, and buffaloes, before being reborn as siblings in the same royal family due to good karma. They become a monk and a nun, and are later brought before King Maridatta for human sacrifice at the temple of the goddess Chandamari. Through dialogue with the monk, the king renounces violence, adopts non-violence, and takes initiation, while the goddess attains right faith. A notable feature of the work is the addition of interpolations by the poet Gandhava, three centuries after the original composition, at the request of Bisal Sahu. These additions, based on the work of Vatsaraja, include descriptions of the entry of Bhairavaananda into the royal court, Yashodhara's marriage, and the wanderings of characters. The interpolations are seamlessly
Conclusion
This document reveals that the *Jasaharacariu* is not merely a literary work but a historical and philosophical document reflecting the turbulent 10th-century Rashtrakuta period. The text’s implications are profound: it demonstrates how a Jain poet, Pushpadanta, embedded contemporary political trauma—the sacking of Manyakheta—within a karmic narrative of rebirth and non-violence. The inclusion of later interpolations by Gandhava shows the text’s living, adaptive nature over centuries. The outcome is a sophisticated synthesis of Apabhramsha poetics, Jain ethics, and historical commentary, offering a unique lens on medieval Indian society. This work’s comparative study across 29 versions in multiple languages holds immense potential for understanding the evolution of narrative, social values, and religious thought from the 10th to the 18th century.