Prabandha-Kosha (IAST: Prabandhakośa) is an Indian Sanskrit-language collection of prabandhas (legendary biographical narratives). It was compiled by the Jain scholar Rajashekhara Suri in 1349 CE.[1][2] It describes the lives of 24 people, including 10 Jain scholars, 4 Sanskrit poets, 7 kings and 3 Jain householders.[3] It is also known as Chaturvinshati Prabandha.[4]
| Author | Rajashekhara Suri |
|---|---|
| Original title | प्रबन्धकोश |
| Language | Sanskrit |
| Subject | Collection of biographical legends |
| Genre | prabandha |
Publication date | 1349 CE |
| Publication place | India |
The content of the collection is based on the information that Rajashekhara obtained from his teacher Tilakasuri. He composed the work at Delhi, under the patronage of Madanasimha, whose father had been honoured by Shri Mahamad Shahi (probably Muhammad Tughluq).[5]
Only the 7th prabandha in the collection (the one about Mallavadi-Suri) is written completely in verse form; the rest of the prabandhas use colloquial Sanskrit prose.[4]
Content
editThe Prabandha-Kosha contains 24 prabandhas (anecdotes), with 4,300 shlokas (verses), on the following persons:[5]
Suris (Jain scholars)
edit- Bhadrabahu and Varaha
- Aryanandila
- Jivadeva-Suri
- Aryakhapata Acharya
- Padaliptasuri
- Siddhasenasuri and Vriddhavadi
- Mallavadi-Suri
- Haribhadrasuri
- Bappabhattisuri
- Hemachandrasuri
Poets
editKings
edit- Satavahana
- Vankachula
- Vikramaditya
- Nagarjuna
- Udayana
- Lakshmana-Sena (or Lakshana-Sena) Kumaradeva
- Madanavarman
Jain householders / courtiers
edit- Ratna-Shravaka
- Abhada-Shravaka
- Vastupala and Tejapala
References
edit- ^ Phyllis Granoff 1993, p. 140.
- ^ Sen 1999, p. 79.
- ^ Vishnulok Bihari Srivastava 2009, p. 279.
- ^ a b Jayant P. Thaker 1970, p. 20.
- ^ a b J. G. Bühler 1873, p. 31.
Bibliography
edit- J. G. Bühler (1873). "On the Age of the Naishadha-Charita of Sriharsha". Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bombay. 10 (28). Asiatic Society of Bombay: 31.
- Jayant P. Thaker, ed. (1970). Laghu-Prabandha-Saṅgraha. Oriental Institute. OCLC 20655908.
- Phyllis Granoff, ed. (1993). The Clever Adulteress and Other Stories: A Treasury of Jaina Literature. Motilal Banarsidass. ISBN 978-81-208-1150-8.
- Sen, Sailendra Nath (1999) [1988], Ancient Indian History and Civilization (Second ed.), New Age International Publishers, ISBN 81-224-1198-3
- Vishnulok Bihari Srivastava (2009). Dictionary of Indology. Pustak Mahal. ISBN 9788122310849.
- Nasaru, Wahid (2001). "7. प्रबन्धकोश में वर्णित गृहस्थ जैन धर्मानुरागी चरित". राजशेखरसूरिकृत प्रबन्धकोश : एक समीक्षात्मक अध्ययन [A Critical Study of the Prabandhakosa of Rajasekharasuri] (Ph. D. thesis) (in Hindi). Department of Sanskrit, Aligarh Muslim University. hdl:10603/57877.