A Note on Vasunandi and His Date

This article examines the dating of Vasunandi, the author of the Prakrit text Sravakacara, which details the six-fold duties of a Jaina householder and contains 546 gathas. The author, Hampa Nagarajayya, argues that Vasunandi's date has been incorrectly placed between 933 and 1239. The text notes that Vasunandi, who mentions Nemicandra as his guru, was referenced by Asadhasuri in 1239 and drew from Devasena-gani's Bhadrasangrah, dated 933. However, the author contends that Vasunandi is the same versatile scholar described by Ramacandra Mumuksu in the Punyasrava Kathakosa, a work completed in the middle of the 12th century. The primary evidence supporting an earlier date is a gatha from Vasunandi's Sravakacara quoted in Camundaraya's Trisasti-Laksana-Mahapurana, completed in 978. This quotation, along with the identification of Vasunandi's guru Nemicandra with Nemicandra Siddhanta Cakravarti, a guide to Camundaraya, suggests Vasunandi was contemporary with Camundaraya. Furthermore, a gatha from Vasunandi's work is cited in the Kannada anthology Vaddaradhane, which the author asserts is later than Camundaraya's 978 work but not later than the 11th century, and was composed based on Aradhana Karana Tika of Brajisu. Based on this evidence from Kannada literature, the author concludes that Vasunandi's date should be fixed at 970 and Ramacandra Mumuksu's in the middle of the 12th century.

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