Dhanapāla was an author and convert to

Jainism Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religions, Indian religion whose three main pillars are nonviolence (), asceticism (), and a rejection of all simplistic and one-sided views of truth and reality (). Jainism traces its s ...

, born at

Ujjain Ujjain (, , old name Avantika, ) or Ujjayinī is a city in Ujjain district of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It is the fifth-largest city in Madhya Pradesh by population and is the administrative as well as religious centre of Ujjain ...

in 973 (saṃvat 1029). His death date is not recorded but was likely in the 1050s. Born a

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

and brāhmaṇa in the Kāśyapa gotra, he was first opposed to Jainism, but was eventually won over by his brother Śobhana in about 977. Śobhaṇa was a pupil of the Jain preceptor Mahendra (Candragaccha). For the greater part of his life, Dhānapāla lived in

Dhar Dhar is a city located in Dhar district of the Malwa region in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India. The city is the administrative headquarters of the Dhar district. Before Indian independence from Great Britain, it was the capital of the Dhar ...

(ancient Dhārā) where he had much influence on the court of the Paramāra rulers. According to

Merutunga Merutuṅga was a medieval scholar from present-day Gujarat in India and was a Śvētāmbara Jain monk of the Achal Gaccha. He is presently most well-known for his Sanskrit text, the '' Prabandhacintāmaṇi'', composed in 1306 CE. He also ...

, Dhānapāla was the leading ''paṇḍit'' in the kingdom. Dhanapāla is best known for his literary works on account of which he bore the epithet ''siddhasārasvatakavi'' (the 'poet whose accomplishment is derived from Sarasvatī'). Among his famous works are ''Ṛṣabhapañcāśikā'', a poetic hymn to the first Jina Adinātha, and the Prakrit lexicon ''Pāiyalacchīnāmamālā'', in the closing verses of which the author states that the work was completed in saṃvat 1029 (972–73). The ''Tilakamañjarī'', a prose romance, is exceptionally well known and studied. On account of this work, composed just after his conversion to Jainism, Dhanapāla was given the title ‘Sarasvatī’ by Vākpati Muñja (c. 973–995).S. K. Sharma, ''Tilakamañjarī of Dhanapāla: A Critical and Cultural Study'' (Delhi: Parimal, 2002). The name involves a play on words given Sarasvatī is also known as Vāgdevī, 'the Goddess of Speech' and Muñja's epithet Vākpati means 'Lord of Speech', i.e. Brahmā, the male consort of Sarasvatī.

References

{{Authority control Indian Jain writers 973 births 1050s deaths People from Ujjain 11th-century Indian writers