Merutunga
Born14th-century
Died14th-century
WorksPrabandha-Chintamani
Vicharashreni

Merutuṅga was a medieval scholar from present-day Gujarat in India and was a Śvētāmbara Jain monk of the Añcala Gaccha. He is presently most well-known for his Sanskrit text, the Prabandhacintāmaṇi, composed in 1306 CE.[1][2] He also wrote Vicāraśreṇī in 1350 CE which describes the chronology of Chāvḍā, Chaulukya and Vāghelā dynasties.[3][4]

Works

Prabandhacintāmaṇi

The Prabandhacintāmaṇi was composed in Vardhamāna (modern-day Wadhwan) in VS 1361 Phālguna Śukla 15, a Sunday.[5] In the text itself, Merutuṅga states that Gaṇī Guṇacandra compiled the first version of the text and that Dharmadeva assisted Merutuṅga in the compilation of the final version.[6]

Therāvalī

The Therāvalī of Merutuṅga is a Paṭṭāvalī that presents a chronology from Mahavira to the arrival of and invasion by the Sakas in India.[7]

Vicāraśreṇī

The Vicāraśreṇī is a bhāṣya on his earlier Therāvalī and was likely composed in VS 1363 (1306 CE).[7]

Ṣaḍdarśananirṇaya

The Ṣaḍdarśananirṇaya is a general exposition, a doxography of 6 contemporary religious philosophies (darśanas) during Merutuṅga's time: Buddhism, Nyāya, Sāṃkhya, Vaiśeṣika, Mīmāṃsā, and Jainism. It is unique among medieval Jain doxographies in that it presents refutations on non-Jain positions found in the other philosophies.

Mahāpuruṣacarita

The work has survived with a bhāṣya, likely written by Merutuṅga himself, and is a charita, a biography, of five great figures in Jainism: Ṛṣabhadeva, Neminātha, Śāntinātha, Pārśvanātha, and Mahāvīra.[8] Additionally, in the bhāṣya, the original work is named the Upadeśaśataka and the Dharmopadeśaśataka. It is also referred to as the Vivaraṇa.[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 historian K. M. Munshi states that dates are "the weakest point in Merutuṅga's narratives"[11] and British Indologist A. K. Warder dismisses Merutuṅga's histories as "completely unreliable" and his narratives as "essentially fiction".[12]

References

Citations

  1. ↑ Cort 2001, p. 35.
  2. ↑ Sen 1999, p. 79.
  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.
  5. ↑ Tawney 1901, p. 204.
  6. ↑ Tawney 1901, p. 2.
  7. 1 2 Eggermont 1969, p. 67.
  8. 1 2 Winternitz 1996, p. 497.
  9. ↑ Crouzet 1965, p. 237.
  10. ↑ Arai 1978.
  11. ↑ Mahesh Singh 1984, p. 30.
  12. ↑ A. K. Warder 1992, p. 151.

Sources

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