Jineśvara’s lost Nivvāṇalīlāvaī (1035): Tracking its contents and functions

Abstract

Jineśvara is known to have been one of the most eminent monks in the beginnings of the Kharataragaccha lineage who has fiercely fought against the so called temple monks (caityavāsin). He was also a prominent intellectual figure and has composed several literary works, among them the Kathākoṣaprakaraṇa as well as a the huge Nivvāṇalīlāvaī (15000 syllables) in 1035, a work in the campū tradition initiated by monks characterised as temple monks. This latter work has not been preserved; it is known only from its epitome composed by Jinaratna, a monk of Kharataragaccha in 1284. Since we also have such epitomes of the 13th century for surviving works of the same literary genre (Kuvalayamālā, 779; Samarāiccakahā, 8th c.; Upamitibhavaprapañcakathā, 905; Saṃtiṇāhacaria, 1104), which follow the same pattern, we can therefore try to use the conclusions drawn from the relationship between the epitomes and ther known originals in order to retrieve as far as possible the structure of the lost Nivvāṇalīlāvaī with its descriptions and religious discourses from that of its epitome. This is the first aim. The second aim will be to investigate the possible reasons for the disappearance of the work of such an admired monk beyond the vagaries of manuscript transmission.