Hemachandra () was a 11-12th century Śvetāmbara Jaina ācārya, scholar, poet, mathematician, philosopher, yogi, grammarian, law theorist, historian, lexicographer, rhetorician, logician, and prosodist. Noted as a prodigy by his contemporaries, he gained the title kalikālasarvajña, "the knower of all knowledge in his times" and is also regarded as father of the Gujarati language.

Born as Caṅgadeva, he was ordained in the Śvetāmbara school of Jainism in 1110 and took the name Somacandra. In 1125 he became an adviser to King Kumārapāla and wrote Arhannīti, a work on politics from Jaina perspective. He also produced Triśaṣṭi-śalākā-puruṣacarita (“Deeds of the 63 Illustrious Men”), a Sanskrit epic poem on the history of important figures of Jainism. Later when he was consecrated as ācārya, his name was changed to Hemacandra.

Early life

Hemacandra was born in Dhandhuka, in present-day Gujarat, on Kartika Sud Purnima (the full moon day of Kārtika month). His year of birth differs according to sources but 1088 is generally accepted. His father, Cāciga was a Moḍha Bania. His mother, Pāhini, was a Jaina. Hemacandra's birth name was Caṅgadeva. In his childhood, the Jaina monk Devacandra Sūri visited Dhandhuka and was impressed by the young Hemacandra's intellect. His mother and maternal uncle concurred with Devachandra, in opposition to his father, that Hemacandra be a disciple of his. Devachandra took Hemacandra to Khambhat, where Hemacandra was placed under the care of the local governor Udayana. Cāciga came to Udayana's place to take his son back, but was so overwhelmed by the kind treatment he received, that he decided to willingly leave his son with Devachandra.

Some years later, Hemacandra was initiated a Jaina monk on Magha Śukla Chaturthī (4th day of the bright half of Magha month) and was given a new name, Somacandra. Udayana helped Devacandra Suri in the ceremony.

Hemacandra and Siddharaja

thumb|Bust of Hemacandra at [[Hemchandracharya North Gujarat University]]

At the time, Gujarat was ruled by the Chaulukya dynasty from Aṇahilavāda (Patan). It is not certain when Hemacandra visited Patan for the first time. As Jain monks are mendicants for eight months and stay at one place during Chaturmas, the four monsoon months, he started living at Patan during these periods and produced the majority of his works there. Hemacandra also composed the Dvyasśaya Kāvya, an epic on the history of the Chaulukya dynasty, to illustrate his grammar. Kumārapāla was a Shaiva and ordered the rebuilding of Somnath at Prabhas Patan. Some Hindu saints who were jealous of Hemacandra's rising popularity with the Kumārapāla complained that Hemacandra was a very arrogant person, that he did not respect the vedic deities and that he refused to bow down to Hindu God Shiva. When called upon to visit the temple on the inauguration with Kumārapāla, Hemacandra readily bowed before the lingam but said:

Ultimately, the king became a devoted follower of Hemacandra and a champion of Jainism.

Grammar

thumb|upright=1.25|Hemacandra's grammar text Siddhahemashabdanushasana in Sanskrit

The Siddha-Hema-Śabdanuśāśana includes six languages: Sanskrit, the "standard" Prakrit (virtually Mahārāṣṭrī Prākrit), Śaurasenī, Māgadhī, Paiśācī, the otherwise-unattested Cūlikāpaiśācī and Apabhraṃśa (virtually Gurjar Apabhraṃśa, prevalent in the area of Gujarat and Rajasthan at that time and the precursor of Gujarati language). He gave a detailed grammar of Apabhraṃśa and also illustrated it with the folk literature of the time for better understanding. It is the only known Apabhraṃśa grammar. Moreover, an annual public examination was organized on the day of Jñāna-pañcamī. Kielhorn regards this as best grammar of Indian middle ages.

Politics

In 1125, he became an adviser to Kumārapāla and wrote the Arhannīti, a work on politics from a Jain perspective. In the test, Hemachandra accepts the polyandry of Draupadi and further suggests that Draupadī was Nāgaśrī in one of her previous lives and had poisoned a Jaina monk. Therefore, she had to suffer in hell and animal incarnations for several lives before being born as woman who later became a Jaina nun. After her death, she was reborn as Draupadī and was married to five Pāṇḍavas.

His Kāvyānuśāsana follows the model of Kashmiri rhetorician Mammaṭa's Kāvya-Prakāśa. He has authored a commentary called Alaṅkāracūḍāmaṇi and annotation called Viveka. He has quoted other scholars like Ānandavardhana and Abhinavagupta in his works.

Other works

His other works include a commentary in rhetoric work called Pramana-Mīmāṃsā (a work on logic and epistemology), Vitaraga-Stotra (praise of Jina).

  • As per Indian Merchants and Entrepreneurs, (1089–1173)

References

Citations

Sources

  • Cinnaiya, S., Nayara, H. K., & Mathura, R. (2017). Cakita kare Fibonācī. Bengaluru: Pratham Books.

Further reading

  • Hemacandra. Sthavirāvalīcarita or Pariśiṣṭaparvan, ed. H. Jacobi, Calcutta, 1883; trans. Fynes (1998).
  • Hemacandra. Yogaśāstra, ed. Muni Jambūvijaya, 3 vols, Bombay, 1977–86.
  • Trishashti Shalaka Purusha Caritra of Hemchandra English translation of books 1-10
  • Bibliography of Hemacandra's works, Item 687 , Karl Potter, University of Washington
  • Acharya Hemchandra by Madhya Pradesh Hindi Granth Academy
  • The Rhythm of Poetry
  • The Golden Mean and the Physics of Aesthetics