A Versified Jaina Epitome of Kadambari

Summary

The article surveys a Jaina adaptation of Bāṇabhaṭṭa’s celebrated Sanskrit novel *Kadambari* in which the prose romance is condensed into a versified abridgement known as the *Kadambari‑Darpana*. The original *Kadambari* is notorious for its extremely complex structure: it presents a love story through multiple nested narratives and reincarnations, making it one of the most difficult Sanskrit novels to summarisehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kadambari#:~:text=K%C4%81dambar%C4%AB%20is%20a%20romantic%20novel,1. The Jaina author Maṇḍana (or another poet) reshapes this labyrinthine tale into a shorter poem, selecting episodes that illustrate Jain ethical ideals and omitting scenes incompatible with them. The article outlines how the epitome retains the core plot – the love between Candrāpīḍa and Mahāśvetā across successive births – but introduces Jaina motifs such as non‑violence, renunciation and the veneration of Jinas. It analyses the metre and style of the verses and notes their fidelity to Bāṇa’s imagery. The poet often substitutes Jaina technical terms for Hindu mythological references and highlights characters’ adherence to vows. The article compares passages from the original and the epitome to show how the adaptor skilfully compresses dialogues while preserving emotional intensity. It also discusses the reception of the *Kadambari‑Darpana* among Jain scholars, who value it as a bridge between mainstream Sanskrit literature and Jaina didacticism. Ultimately, the article illustrates how Jain intellectuals engaged creatively with non‑Jain literary traditions, producing works that are both aesthetically pleasing and ethically instructive.