प्रास्ताविक

Summary

This eighth issue of the research journal *Jainavidya* from the Jainavidya Sansthan, Shri Mahavirji, is a special issue dedicated to Muni Kanakamar. Muni Kanakamar was a Digambara ascetic and a scholar and poet in several languages, including Apabhramsha. Around Vikram Samvat 1050, he composed the epic *Karakandachariu* (Karakandu Charitra) in Apabhramsha. The story of Karakandu is well-known in Jain literature and also appears in Buddhist texts, though the two narratives differ significantly. Most extant manuscripts of this work date from the 16th-17th centuries, considered the late medieval period of Apabhramsha development. Approximately 14-15 manuscripts are held in major collections, including the Shastra Bhandar in Amer, Jaipur. Muni Kanakamar was a great admirer of scholars like Acharya Siddhasena, Acharya Samantabhadra, Acharya Akalankadeva, Jayadeva, Svayambhu, and Pushpadanta. His immediate guru was Pandit Mangaladeva. He claimed that despite not knowing grammar or prosody, he was able to compose this work through the grace of his revered teachers. Born into a Brahmin family of the Chandra Rishi gotra, he renounced the world to become a Digambara monk. His birth name, birthplace, and early life are unknown. He composed the *Karakandachariu* in a city called Asadha, possibly modern-day Asapuri near Bhopal, after being encouraged by a virtuous, devout man who was respected by King Vijayapala. The work describes the life of King Karakandu across ten cantos. The narrative begins with King Dhadivahana of Champapuri marrying Padmavati, who is lost in a forest. She gives birth to a son in a cremation ground, who is raised by a matanga (a vid