Merutunga

Merutunga
Merutunga
Born	14th-century
Died	14th-century
Works	Prabandha-Chintamani; Vicharashreni

Merutuṅgawas a medieval scholar from present-dayGujaratinIndiaand was aŚvētāmbara Jainmonk of theAñcala Gaccha.He is presently most well-known for hisSanskrittext, thePrabandhacintāmaṇi,composed in 1306 CE.^[1]^[2]He also wroteVicāraśreṇīin 1350 CE which describes the chronology ofChāvḍā,ChaulukyaandVāghelādynasties.^[3]^[4]

Works

Prabandhacintāmaṇi

ThePrabandhacintāmaṇiwas composed in Vardhamāna (modern-dayWadhwan) in VS 1361PhālgunaŚukla 15, a Sunday.^[5]In the text itself, Merutuṅga states thatGaṇī Guṇacandracompiled the first version of the text and thatDharmadevaassisted Merutuṅga in the compilation of the final version.^[6]

Therāvalī

TheTherāvalīof Merutuṅga is aPaṭṭāvalīthat presents a chronology fromMahavirato the arrival of and invasion by theSakasinIndia.^[7]

Vicāraśreṇī

TheVicāraśreṇīis abhāṣyaon his earlierTherāvalīand was likely composed in VS 1363 (1306 CE).^[7]

Ṣaḍdarśananirṇaya

TheṢaḍdarśananirṇayais a general exposition, adoxographyof 6 contemporary religious philosophies (darśanas) during Merutuṅga's time:Buddhism,Nyāya,Sāṃkhya,Vaiśeṣika,Mīmāṃsā,andJainism.It is unique among medievalJaindoxographies in that it presents refutations on non-Jain positions found in the other philosophies.

Mahāpuruṣacarita

The work has survived with abhāṣya,likely written by Merutuṅga himself, and is acharita,a biography, of five great figures inJainism:Ṛṣabhadeva,Neminātha,Śāntinātha,Pārśvanātha,andMahāvīra.^[8]Additionally, in the bhāṣya, the original work is named theUpadeśaśatakaand theDharmopadeśaśataka.It is also referred to as theVivaraṇa.^[8]

Criticism

As a historian, Merutuṅga's works are generally regarded to be of poor quality, as compared with his contemporaries and with modern historians.^[9]^[10]Gujarati historianK. M. Munshistates that dates are "the weakest point in Merutuṅga's narratives"^[11]and British IndologistA. K. Warderdismisses Merutuṅga's histories as "completely unreliable" and his narratives as "essentially fiction".^[12]

References

Citations

^Cort 2001,p. 35.
^Sen 1999,p. 79.
^Kailash Chand Jain 1991,p. 85.
^Rajyagor, S. B.; Chopra, Pran Nath (1982). "Chapter II: Source Materials of History of Gujarat".History of Gujarat.New Delhi: S. Chand & Company Ltd. p. 17.OCLC 12215325.
^Tawney 1901,p. 204.
^Tawney 1901,p. 2.
^^a ^bEggermont 1969,p. 67.
^^a ^bWinternitz 1996,p. 497.
^Crouzet 1965,p. 237.
^Arai 1978.
^Mahesh Singh 1984,p. 30.
^A. K. Warder 1992,p. 151.

Sources

Cort, John E.(2001),Jains in the World: Religious Values and Ideology in India,Oxford University Press,ISBN 0-19-513234-3
Jain, Kailash Chand(1991),Lord Mahāvīra and His Times,Motilal Banarsidass,ISBN 978-81-208-0805-8
Sen, Sailendra Nath (1999) [1988],Ancient Indian History and Civilization(Second ed.), New Age International Publishers,ISBN 81-224-1198-3
Crouzet, François (1965),Studies in the Cultural History of India,Shiva Lal Agarwala
Arai, Toshikazu (1978),The Structure of Jaina Kingship as Viewed by the Prabandhacintāmaṇi
Tawney, Charles Henry (1901),The Prabandhacintāmaṇi or Wishing-Stone of Narratives,The Asiatic Society of Bengal
Eggermont, P. H. L. (1969),The Purāņa Source of Merutuṅga's List of Kings and the Arrival of the Śakas in India
Winternitz, Moriz (1996),A History of Indian Literature, Volume 2,translated by Sarma, V. Srinivasa, Motilal Banarsidass Publishers,ISBN 9788120802650
Mahesh Singh(1984).Bhoja Paramāra and His Times.Bharatiya Vidya Prakashan.OCLC 11786897.
A. K. Warder(1992).Indian Kāvya Literature.Vol. VI: The Art of Storytelling. Motilal Banarsidass.ISBN 978-81-208-0615-3.

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[FOOTNOTECort200135-1] Cort 2001,p. 35.

[FOOTNOTESen199979-2] Sen 1999,p. 79.

[FOOTNOTEKailash_Chand_Jain199185-3] Kailash Chand Jain 1991,p. 85.

[4] Rajyagor, S. B.; Chopra, Pran Nath (1982). "Chapter II: Source Materials of History of Gujarat".History of Gujarat.New Delhi: S. Chand & Company Ltd. p. 17.OCLC 12215325.

[FOOTNOTETawney1901204-5] Tawney 1901,p. 204.

[FOOTNOTETawney19012-6] Tawney 1901,p. 2.

[FOOTNOTEEggermont196967-7] Eggermont 1969,p. 67.

[FOOTNOTEWinternitz1996497-8] Winternitz 1996,p. 497.

[FOOTNOTECrouzet1965237-9] Crouzet 1965,p. 237.

[FOOTNOTEArai1978-10] Arai 1978.

[FOOTNOTEMahesh_Singh198430-11] Mahesh Singh 1984,p. 30.

[FOOTNOTEA._K._Warder1992151-12] A. K. Warder 1992,p. 151.

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