Jaina Agama Series

Author(s): Jambuvijay
Publisher: Jambuvijay
Catalog link: https://jainqq.org/explore/006964/1

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The Jaina Āgama Series
Muni Jambuvijaya
in aina Āgamas, the preachings and teachings of the last Jina Lord Mahāvīra are preserved. The holy scriptures which were composed by the ganadharas, the direct disciples of Lord Mahāvīra and the grand disciples, who flourished within about two or three hundred years after the Nirvāṇa of Lord Mahāvīra, are called Jaina Āgamas. The language of the Āgamas is Ardhamāgadhī. Ardhamāgadhī is á Prakrit language. It was the language of the people during the time of Lord Mahāvīra.
The fundamental class of the Āgamas is known as Anga. This points to an old tradition of classifying the Āgamas. To explain creation the Vedic tradition has posited a Puruşa. Similarly, a Vidyā-Puruşa or Sruta-Puruşa has been posited here and the various branches of knowledge are viewed as parts and sub-parts of his body. In Vedic literature we come across the idea of the parts of the body of) Vidyā. Similarly, in the Jaina Scriptures we come across the idea of the parts and sub-parts of (the body of) the Sruta. It is clear that just as in the system of the human body parts serve as the basis of subparts even so in the Āgamas the Angas serve as the basis of the Upāngas. Thus, in the whole of the Āgama literature the place of the Angas is higher than that of the remaining works. Not only that, they constitute the fundamental Āgamas and it is on the basis of them that the other Āgamas like the Upāngas, etc.— the current term for which is angabāhya—have been composed. Thus the term 'Anga', applied to the fundamental Āgamas—fundamental because they are composed by the direct pupils of the Tīrtharkara after having heard his succinct preachings of the principles-suggests their importance as well as their originality. The teachings of Lord Mahāvīra constitute the main source of the Anga literature.
It is beyond all shadow of doubt that the Āgamas, at first, only included the Ganipițaka, or Dvādaśānga, because both the Digambara and Śvetāmbara traditions consider the gañadharas to be the authors of these

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works. But it is also a fact that even the works composed by the long line of their disciples, grand-disciples, and so on gradually found place in the class of literature called Agama. Thus the Agamas generally fall into two groups: Anga Āgamas and angabāhya Āgamas. The Nandisūtra places under the title samyak śruta (true scriptures) nothing but the Dvādaśāngī propounded by the Arhat.' Again, it takes into consideration the Dvādaśāngī alone in the course of its treatment of sādisaparyavasita, etc. The Samavāyānga (sūtra 136) too enumerates only the twelve Angas propounded by Lord' Mahāvīra. The Anuyogadvāra refers to the Dvādaśa (twelve) Angas only, while discussing the topic of lokottara āgamapramāņa (transcendental scriptures). All this suggests that, originally, the twelve Angas constituted the Jaina Āgama. But as time passed even the works composed by the long line of disciples, direct or indirect, of the ganadharas were included in the Agama (Sruta) literature, the reason being that they were based on the original Āgamas. Of course, the discrimination is always made as to which Agamas are written by the ganadharas and which by authors other than the gañadharas. The classification of the Āgamas (the Sruta) into Anga (angapravista) and 'angabāhya has been made keeping this very discrimination in view. The Svetāmbaras and the Digambaras agree on the point of including all Āgamas other than the twelve Angas in the class called argabāhya. But we have no source or means at our disposal to work out the chronological order in which the new additions were made in the class called angabāhya. It would not be improper if we try to construct a picture of this order by joining together whatever stray links of history we have.
After having classified the Sruta (the Āgamas) into two classes, viz. the angabāhya and the angapravista, Vācaka Umāsvāti has enumerated by name the works falling under the class angabāhya. They are as follows: (1) Sāmāyika, (2) Caturvimšatistava, (3) Vandană, (4) Pratikramana, (5) Kāyavyutsarga, (6) Pratyākhyāna, (7) Daśavaikālika, (8) Uttarādhyayana, (9) Dašā, (10) Kalpa-Vyavahāra, (11) Nisītha, (12) Řşibhāșita, etc. Here the use of the word 'etc.' (ādi) suggests that there are some other works which also belong to this class. The author of the Dhavalā-tīkā clearly says that there are just fourteen argabāhya works; and he gives the names of these works as follows: (1) Sāmāiya, (2) Cauvīsatthao, (3) Vandanā, (4) Padikkamaņa, (5) Veņaiya, (6) Kidiyamma, (7) Dasaveyāliya, (8) Uttarajjhayaņa,

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The Jaina Āgama Series
(9) Kappa-Vavahāro, (10) Kappākappiya, (11) Mahākappiya, (12) Pundarīya, (13) Mahāpundarīya, (14) ņisīhaya."
The Jayadhavalās applies the general term 'prakīrņaka' to these fourteen angabāhya works. The Dhavalā and Jayadhavalā even give the detailed contents of these fourteen works. So, it is possible that all these fourteen works (Sūtras) were present before Acārya Vīrasena. As regards the Angas he clearly says that they have gradually become extinct. But in the case of the angabāhya works he passes no such remark.
On the basis of these two lists it can be said that the following eighteen works were well known as angabāhya works till the time of the author of the Dhavala:
(1) Sāmāyika, (2) Çaturvimšatistava, (3) Vandana, (4) Pratikramana, (5) Kāyavyutsarga, (6) Pratyākhyāna, (7) Veņaiya, (8) Kidiyamma, (9) Daśavaikālika, (10) Uttarādhyayana, (11) Daśā, (12) Kalpa-Vyavahāra, (13) Nisītha, (14) Rşibhāṣita, (15) Kappākappiya, (16) Mahākappiya, (17) Pundarīya, (18) Mahāpundarīya.
The first six out of these eighteen works are included in the avasyaka. We find in the Dhavalā two different names in place of the last two of this list of six. If these two different names appearing in the Dhavala were considered to be simply other names of the Kāyavyutsarga and the Pratyākhyāna and not of two independent works, then the works enumerated here will be less in number by two, i. e. sixteen. But those two different names could not be considered to be simply the other names of the Kāyavyutsarga and the Pratyākhyāna because the content, as given in the Dhavalā, of the works bearing those names greatly differs from that of the Kāyavyutsarga and the Pratyākhyāna. Hence the separate mention above of these two names. Thus, though only eighteen names are obtainable, it is very difficult to decide as to how many other names are intended by Vācaka Umāsvāti through the use of the word 'ādi' in his Tattvārthabhāsya. But we can say this much-the figure should be larger than the fourteen given in the Dhavalā because the word ‘ādi' occurs after the enumeration of twelve names. Generally it can be said that the list found in the Dhavalā belongs to that period when the views of the Svetāmbaras and Digambaras regarding the śruta were identical and there

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was no dispute on the point. Hence it is quite possible that this list is prior to Vācaka Umāsvāti.
In the Nandisūtra, the following utkālika angabāhya works are mentioned:
yu
.
(1) Daśavaikālika (2) Kalpākalpika (3) Cullakalpaśruta (4) Mahākalpasruta (5) Aupapātika (6) Rājapraśnīya (7) Jīvābhigama (8) Prajnapana (9) Mahāprajñāpanā (10) Pramādāpramāda (11) Nandi (12) Anuyogadvāra (13) Devendrastava (14) Tandulavaicārika (15) Candravedhyaka
(16) Sūryaprajñapti (17) Pauruşīmandala (18) Mandalapraveśa (19) Vidyācaranaviniscaya (20) Ganividyā (21) Dhyānavibhakti (22) Maranavibhakti (23) Ātmavišodhi (24) Vītarāgaśrutà (25) Samlekhanāšruta (26) Vihārakalpa (27) Caraṇavidhi (28) Āturapratyākhyāna (29) Mahāpratyākhyāna
In addition to the utkālika angabāhya works there are also kālika angabāhya works. The Nandisūtra includes the following śāstras in the class of kālika angabāhya:
(1) Uttarādhyayana (2) Dasāšruta (3) Kalpa (4) Vyavahāra (5) Nisītha (6) Mahānisītha (7) Rșibhāșita (8) Jambūdvīpaprajñapti (9) Dvīpasāgaraprajñapti (10) Candraprajñapti
(11) Kșudrikāvimānapravibhakti (12) Mahatīvimānapravibhakti (13) Argacülikā (14) Vargacūlikā (15) Vivāhacūlikā (16) Arunopapāta (17) Varunopapāta (18) Garudopapāta (19) Dharaṇopapāta (20) Vaisramanopapāta

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(21) Velandharopapāta (22) Devendropapāta (23) Utthānaśruta (24) Samupasthānaśruta (25) Nāgaparijñā (26) Nirayāvalikā
(27) Kalpikā (28) Kalpāvatamsikā (29) Puspitā (30) Puspacülikā (31) Vrsņidašā?
And at the end of this list is written: "..., etc. Eighty-four thousand prakīrņakas by Lord şşabha, saskhyāta thousand prakīrņakas by the intermediary 22 Tirthankaras and fourteen thousand prakīrņakas by Lord Mahāvīra also to be included in the kālika angabāhya works." The author goes on to add that these works are as many thousands as are the disciples of the Tirtharkaras, disciples possessed of four types of intellect, and also as many thousands as are the Pratyekabuddhas. The Nandisutra mentions 60 angabāhya works which are other than the āvasyakas. Though they might have been extant at the time when the Nandi was composed, at present many of them are extinct.
We shall now discuss the classification of the Āgamas. As we have seen, at first the Angas alone constituted the Āgamas or Ganipitakas. Afterwards even the works based on these Arigas found place among the Āgamas and they were called angabāhya. Thus the Āgamas came from that time to be classified into two—the Anga and the angabāhya. For the class Anga the term 'angapravista' is also used. For the class argabāhya the terms ‘upānga', 'anangapravista' and 'upatantra' are likewise used. Vācaka Umāsvāti uses the terms 'angabāhya' and 'upānga' for the angabāhya class, while the Dhavalā employs the terms 'argabāhya' and 'upatantra' for that very class. From the references found in the Nandisātra it can be seen that the term 'prakīrņaka' was also applied to the angabāhya class. The Jayadhavalā (p. 122) corroborates this point. Like the Vedas, the Angas were studied at specific times and hence they are called kālika. But the case was different with the angabāhya works. Some of them were studied at specific times and others at any time. Hence the angabāhya works have formed two classes: the kālika and the utkalika. This classification is as old as the Anuyogadvārasūtra. On this basis we can surmise that till the time of the

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Anuyogadvāra, the classification of the Āgamas into Arga and angabāhya, and the further classification of the angabāhyas into kālika and utkālika was established. On the basis of the reference found in Umāsvāti's works and the Dhavalā it can be deduced that there was a time when the Sāmāyika, etc. were not regarded as forming one group; but when they did come to be grouped under one title (i.e. āvasyaka) the angabāhya works were classified into two-āvašyaka and avašyakavyatirikta. The fact that this classification was prevalent is corroborated by the Sthānānga (sūtra 71), the Nandi (sūtra 43) and the Anuyogadvāra (sūtra 5). The speciality of the Anuyogadvāra is that the classification of the Sruta given therein runs as follows:
.
Śruta
Anga
angabāhya
kālika
utkālika
āvašyaka
āvasyakavyatirikta
But the Nandisūtra offers the following classification:
Śruta
Anga
angabāhya
āvasyaka
āvasyakavyatirikta
kālika
utkālika

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The Jaina Agama Series
The reason for the difference found in these two classifications is as follows: In the Anuyogadvāra at the concerned place the topic in hand is the explanation of the avasyaka. Hence, having first mentioned the kalika and the utkalika types of angabahya works, the author points out that the avasyaka falls under the category utkälika. On the other hand, in the Nandi the topic in hand is related not to any particular class of Agamas but to the classification of Agamas as such; so, therein the kalika-utkālika classification has found place at the end. In the modern Śvetambara tradition an altogether different classification of Agamas is prevalent. It is as follows:
(1) Anga, (2) Upanga, (3) Cheda, (4) Mūla, (5) Prakīrṇaka, (6) Cūlikā.
It is difficult to say as to when this system of classifying the Agamas originated but we can imagine the process through which it might have passed. The classification of the Agamas into Anga and angabahya might have been prevalent for long, but in the Middle Ages there took place some change in this system. It is difficult to decide as to when, that is in which century of the Middle Ages, this happened. But it is certain that this new system was already prevalent in near about the twelfth century of the Christian Era, because Śrīcandra, the pupil of Dhanesvara, in his Sukhabodhā Samācārī refers to the Angas and to the Upangas respectively related to them. On account of the mystical [sic] nature of the works that now pass under the title Chedasūtras it should have been deemed necessary to separate them from the other Agamas and thus, perhaps, originated the class called Chedasūtras. It is difficult to know as to when and why the class called Mūlasūtra came into existence. But we are of opinion that those works which the Jaina monks should learn first were grouped under the title Mulasūtra. The Nandi and the Anuyogadvāra, being composed as appendages to the entire Śruta, naturally form the class called Culikāsūtra. The Upanga, the Cheda, the Mula and the Culika-all these classes were formed after having selected the works, proper for each class, from among the prakīrṇakas that were included in the angabahya class of the Agamas. Hence the remaining prakīrņakas have formed an independent class called Prakīrṇaka. The list of the established classes of the Śruta, which is universally recognised by the Svetambaras with some minor changes, runs as follows:9
(1) Acāra, (2) Sūtrakṛta, (3) Sthāna, (4) Samavāya, (5)
7
11 Angas

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Vyākhyāprajñapti, (6) Jñātādharmakathā, (7) Upāsakadaśā, (8) Antakyddaśā, (9) Anuttaraupapātikadašā, (10)
Prašnavyākaraṇa, (11) Vipāka, [(12) Drsțivāda–extinct)); 12 Upāngas (1) Aupapātika, (2) Rājaprasnīya, (3) Jīvābhigama, (4)
Prajapan, (5) Suryaprajñapti, (6) Jambudvipaprajnapti, (7) Candraprajñapti, (8) Nirayāvalī, (9) Kalpāvataṁsikā,
(10) Puspikā, (11) Puspacūlikā, (12) Vrsnidašā; 6 Chedasūtras (1) Nisītha, (2) Mahānisītha, (3) Vyavahāra, (4)
Daśāśruta, (5) Brhatkalpa, (6) Jītakalpa; 4 Mülasūtra (1) Uttarādhyayana, (2) Daśavaikālika, (3) Āvasyaka, (4)
Pindaniryukti; 10 Prakīrņakas (1) Catuḥsaraña, (2) Āturapratyākhyāna, (3) Bhakt
aparijñā, (4) Samstāraka, (5) Tandulavaicārika, (6) Candravedhyaka, (7) Devendrastava, (8) Gaņividyā, (9).
Mahāpratyākhyāna, (10) Vīrastava; 2 Cūlikāsūtras (1) Nandi, (2) Anuyogadvāra.
Modern scholars, down to the present day, have not evinced as much interest in the study of the Jaina literature—particularly the Āgamas—as they have in the study of its Vedic and Buddhist counterparts. There are many reasons for the neglect of the study of the Āgamas. One of them is the absence of a good edition of these texts. The Jaina Āgamas are a living literature. They have been edited and published by a number of religious personalities. But there exists not a single edition which contains all the Āgamas which is handy and which is such as can easily be used by modern scholars. Stray attempts have been made in this direction but the task has not been carried out in a sys
ematic manner with a determinate plan in view. Indeed the critical edition of all the Agamas was a long-felt need.
For the publication of the Jaina Āgamas, many individuals and many institutes have made attempts during all these years. In 1848 Stevenson published for the first time an English translation of the Kalpasūtra; but the translation was not up to the mark. Really speaking, Prof. Weber deserves to be called the pioneer in the field of the Āgama publication. In 1865–66 he edited some portions of the Bhagavatīsūtra and appended notes that embody the important results of his study of the same.

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The Jaina Āgama Series In 1874 Ray Dhanpatsimhaji Bahadur started the work of publishing the Āgamas and brought out many of them. But the utility of these published texts was hardly greater than that of the original manuscripts because they were printed without punctuation marks, paragraphing, and word-division. Nevertheless, he deserves our thanks for making available to the scholars the Jaina Āgamas which were then very difficult to obtain.
The Kalpasūtra (1879) and the Ācārānga (1882) edited by Dr. Hermann Jacobi, the Aupapātika (1890) and the Avašyaka (1897) edited by Leumann, some portions of the Jñātādharmakathā (1881) edited by Steinthal, the Upāsakadašā (1890) edited by Hoernle, the Ācārānga (1910) and some of the Chedasūtras
(1918) edited by Schubring, etc.- in the publication of all these works the critical method of editing has been adopted. This was not done in the case of the edition of 32 Āgamas, published by Shri Lala Sukhdeva Sahaya in 1916–20 along with the Hindi translation by Shri Amolak Rishi, nor in that of the edition of the Agamas (along with their respective commentaries) the publication of which started in 1915 under the auspices of the Agamodaya Samiti.
The Āgamas ediled by Ācārya Śrī Sāgarānandasūrīśvarajī are superior to those edited by Ray Dhanpatsimhaji Bahadur from the point of view of correct readings as well as correct printing, and they have proved very useful to the scholars. The credit certainly goes to Acārya Sāgarānandasūrīśvarajī for whatever progress we have achieved in the study of Jaina religion and philosophy ever since the publication of his edition. Despite all this the need for a critical edition of the Āgamas still remains to be fulfilled. In 1943 there was established the Srī Jaināgama Prakāśinī Samsad with the aim of publishing the Agamas, by Muni Shri Punyavijayaji, who had been making, throughout the last forty years of his life, such efforts as would make possible the publication of a critical edition of all the Agamas. Not only that, but he had made successful attempts to correct the text reading of the Āgamas on the basis of the quotations from them found in other works.
As a result of these efforts of the Late Respected Muni Shri Punyavijayaji Maharaj, a committee was formed in the year 1964 by the Shri Mahavira Jaina Vidyalaya (Gowalia Tank Road, Bombay 16) to publish a critical edition of the Jaina Āgamas. It was decided to accept the following six principles in critically editing the texts of the Jaina Āgama:

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(i) utilization of the old handwritten manuscripts (ii) utilization of the Cūrņi, sīkā, Avacūri, Tippaņaka, etc. (iii) utilization of the quotations from the Agama texts (iv) comparison with the Sūtra readings found in the other Agama texts (v) discrimination of the unwanted and wrong amendations made by scholars (vi) discrimination of the mistakes committed by copyists.
A scheme was adopted to edit all the Jaina Āgamas crítically and to publish them in 17 Volumes as follows:
CŪLIKĀSŪTRAS (2) Vol. I (1) Nandisūtra
(2) Anuyogadvārasūtra
ANGAS (11) Vol. II (1) Ācārānga (1977)
(2) Sūtrakstānga (1978) Vol. III (3) Sthānānga
(4) Samavāyārga Vol. IV (5) Vyākhyāprajñapti (in three parts: 1974, 1978, 1982) Vol. V (6) Jnatādharmakathānga Vol. VI (7) Upāsakadašānga
(8) Antakrddaśānga (9) Anuttaraupapātikadašānga (10) Praśnavyākaraṇadašānga (11) Vipākadašānga
UPĀNGAS (12) Vol. VII (1) Aupapātika
(2) Rājapraśnīya Vol. VIII (3) Jivābhigama Vol. IX (4) Prajñāpanā (in two parts: 1969, 1971) Vol. X (5) Jambūdvīpaprajñapti Vol. XI (6) Candraprajñapti
(7) Sūryaprajñapti Vol. XII (8) Nirayāvalikā

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(9) Kalpāvatamsikā (10) Puspikā (11) Puspacūlikā (12) Vrsņidašā
CHEDASŪTRAS (6) Vol. XIII (1) Daśāśrutaskandha
(2) Brhatkalpasūtra (3) Vyavahārasūtra (4) Nisīthasūtra
(5) Jītakalpa (Śrāddhajītakalpa and Yatijītakalpa) Vol. XIV (6) Mahānisīthasūtra
MŪLASŪTRAS (4) Vol. XV (1) Daśavaikālika
(2) Uttarādhyayana
(3) Āvasyaka Vol. XVI (4). Pindaniryukti (Oghaniryukti and Samsaktaniryukti included)
PRAKĪRŅAKAS (10)* Vol. XVII (1) Catuḥsarana
(2) Aturapratyākhyana (3) Bhaktaparijñā (4) Saṁstāraka (5) Tandulavaicārika (6) Candravedhyaka (7) Devendrastava (8) Gaņividyā (9) Mahāpratyākhyāna
(10) Vīrastava This volume (in two parts) will also include the following Prakīrnakas:
(1) Ājīvakalpa (2) Gacchācāra (3) Maranasamādhi (4) Arādhanāpatākā

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Muni Jambuvijaya (5) Dvipasagaraprajnaptisamgrahani (6) Jyotiskarandaka (7) Saravali Out of these Volumes, Number I (1968), IX and XV (1977: Dasavaikalika, Uttaradhyayana, Avasyaka) were edited by Muni Shri Punyavijayaji Maharaj. After the expiration of Muni Shri Punyavijayaji Maharaj, the scheme is continued. Pandit Shri Bechardas Jivaraj Doshi has edited Vol. IV which is already published in three parts. Vol. XVII is edited by Pandit Amritlal Mohanlal Bhojak and is already published.* Volumes II, III (1985) and V (1989) are edited by Muni Shri Jambuvijaya and are already published. The work of Vol. VII is under progress. All the remaining volumes shall be critically edited and published in due course of time. This article has been compiled on the basis of the introduction of Volume I (1968) of the Jaina Agama Series. Notes 1. Nandisutra, su. 71. 2. Ibid., su. 73. 3. Ibid., su. 79; Rajavartika 1. 20. 11. 13; Dhavala, p. 96; Tattvarthabhasya 1. 20. 4. Dhavala, pt. I, p. 96; Jayadhavala, pt. I, pp. 24, 97. 5. P. 122. 6. Nandisutra, su. 81. 7. The Paksikasutra mentions, in addition to these 31 works, five others, viz. the Asivisabhavana, the Drstivisabhavana, the Svapnabhavana, the Mahasvapnabhavana, and the Taijasanisarga. And the Yoganandi additionally mentions three other works, viz. the Sagaraprajnapti, the Vrsnika and the Caranabhavana. Thus the total number of works pertaining to this type comes to 39. 8. Refer to the Introduction to Jaina Sahitya ka Brhad Itihasa (Parsvanatha Vidyasrama, Granthamaka), p. 36. 9. Ibid., p. 27. * Part I (twenty Prakirnakas), Part II (twelve "tracts"), Part III (Joisakarandagan) 1984, 1987, 1989. THE EDITORS.