SHANTHIPURANAM  

 

  1. ಶಾಂತಿಪುರಾಣಂ
  2. shAntipurANam
  3. An Epic on the Life of Shantinatha Teerthankara
  4. Ponna (ponna)
  5. 10th Century (Approximately 950 A.D.)
  6. Vengi Vishaya, (Vengi County)
  7. Jaina
  8. Krishna-3 of Rashtrakuta Dynasty
  9. Kavichakravarthi, ‘Ubhayakavichakravathi’, ‘Kurulgala Savana’ One among the ‘Ratnatraya’
  10. Poetry : Champu Kavya
  11. ‘Kanda’s, ‘Vrutta’s and Prose
  12. Palm leaves and paper
  13. 1929
  14. A.Venkata Rao and H.Sheshayyangar
  15. Peoples’ Printing and Publishing House, Madras
  16. ..
  17. ‘Shanthipurana’ is an epic based on the life of Shanthinatha the sixteenth among the Jaina Teerthankaras. This is one of the more celebrated works in the Jaina puranas in Kannada during the tenth century, particularly because of the patronage of Attimabbe who got one thousand copies of this work made and got them distributed among Jaina devotees. This work was assigned to Ponna by the brothers Mallaparya and Punnamarya of Punganur in memory of their religious teacher Jinachandradeva. This was also given the title ‘Puranachudamani’ because it delineates the philosophical precepts and the religious practices of Jainism in great detail. ‘Uttarapurana’ in Sanskrit, written by Gunabhadra seems to be one its sources. Of course, he has borrowed heavily and un creatively from Kalidasa’s ‘Raghuvamsha’, contrary to his claims that he is not a plagiarist and also his boast that he is four times greater the Sanskrit master. Some say, that he has literally translated almost 300 poems from the Masterpiece of Kalidasa.                                                                      

‘Shanthipuranam’ contains twelve chapters and nine of them are reserved for a description     of the previous incarnations of Shanthinatha showing an utter lack of a sense of proportion. The last three chapters are in tune with the set pattern describing the victories of the king followed by a renunciation. The five auspicious events (Panchakalyana) in the life of a Teerthnakars are given their due place.

Ponna was a scholar in many subjects and that has made him use many technical terms in use during his times. This is a veritable mine of useful information. Some descriptions of nature are noteworthy within the confines of his times. Occasionally one finds a spark of poetry. The style is a combination of terseness and pedantry. One has to arrive at the sad conclusion that the work does not merit the kind of adulation given to its maker.   

  1. Ref: 1. Kavichakravarthi Ponna mattu aatana KrutigaLu Dr. M.R.Umadevi, 1979, Dharawada.
  2. Link and translations: 1. Shanthipuranam (From) T.R.S.Sharma and C.K.Sukumar Ancient Indian Literature, Edited by T.R.S. Sharma, National Book Trust, New Delhi,

 

 

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