Essay name: Tilakamanjari of Dhanapala (study)
Author:
Shri N. M. Kansara
Affiliation: Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda / Department of Sanskrit Pali and Prakrit
This is an English study of the Tilakamanjari of Dhanapala, a Sanskrit poem written in the 11th century. Technically, the Tilaka-manjari is classified as a Gadyakavya (鈥減rose-romance鈥�). The author, Dhanapala was a court poet to the Paramara king Munja, who ruled the Kingdom of Malwa in ancient west-central India.
Chapter 6 - Summary of the Tilakamanjari
4 (of 87)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
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INTRODUCTORY VERSES:-
The work begins with a bene-
dictory verse saluting Jina, the Omniscient and Omnipre-
sent Lord (vs.I). It is followed by next five verses
which express salutations to the Tirthamkaras (vs.2),
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闁赌
especially the first one, viz, R峁bha (vs.3), to his first
religious discourse (vs.4), delivered in extremely pure
chaste language a veritable Goddess-of-Speech (vs.5),
and to the beneficient glance by Lord Mah膩v墨ra, the last
Tirthankara, towards an inimical god who had been obstru-
cting his penance (vs.6). The next two verses praise a
good poetic composition (vs.7) and an impartial critic
(vs.8). Then follows a censure against the wicked igno-
ramuses (vss.9-10), an acknowledgement of the power of
a really poetic piece (vss.II-12) and a dig at the
attempts of poetasters as well as bad critics (vss.13-14).
The next four verses deal with the defects of tiring
prose full of long compounds (vs.15) or too much of
paronomasia (vs.16), ceaseless prose only or too many
verses (vs.17) and lack of a good x茅ry story content
(vs.18). In the following nineteen verses the poet
respectfully and appreciatively mentions the names of
his predecessors and their works; viz, Muni Indrabh奴ti,
who, being the first disciple of the last Tirthamkara,
obtained the meritorious "Three Jewels" of the Jain
