Page #1
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
________________
Jainism In Jayantabhatta's Agamadambara
ANANTALAL THAKUR
THE Āgamaļambara is a four-act play written in Sanskrit and Prākrit
in a number of dialects. Its author is the famous Nyāya thinker Jayantabhatta who flourished in the ninth century A.D. and composed his magnum opus, the Nyāyamañjari, residing in a prison cell as he himself states in the following verse :
राज्ञा तु गहरेऽस्मिन्नशब्दके बन्धने विनिहितोऽहम् ।
ग्रन्थरचनाकुतुकादिह हि वासरा गमिताः॥
The Nyāyamañjarī deals with different schools of philosophy, in their theoretical aspects-logical, ontological and epistemological, including also ethical. The Āgamaļambara is his next work which deals with the practical religious life of various sects in vogue during his time. King Sankaravarman (885-902 A.D.) of Kashmir was his patron. The king took cognizance of the degeneration of some of the religious sects and took steps to chastise them. Bhatta Jayanta was of much help to him in this. Sankaravarman's royal epithet as Varnāśramadharmamaryādācārya is symptomatic of the fact that he re-established the Vedic tradition after purging the unorthodox-heretical elements that corrupted the life of the people of Kashmir. It will be interesting to note that according to the wise counsel of Bhatta Jayanta the king accepted the validity of all the Agamas including those of the Jainas. The royal proclamation in the Agamadambara attests this:
Page #2
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
________________
176 : SHŘI MAHAVIRA JAINA VIDYALAYA GOLDEN JUBILEE VOLUME
येऽत्रानादिजगत्प्रवाहपतिता नानागमाः साधव
स्ते तिष्ठन्तु यथास्थिताः स्वसमयाविष्टाश्चरन्तः क्रियाः। ये तु प्रस्तुतधर्मविप्लवकृतः पापास्तपोऽपायिन
FaII fa qayfa ai grifaa Eigfa: III. 1. In the Agamadambara the author depicts some of the salient features of the religious practices of the Buddhists, Jainas, śaivas, Cárvākas and Sättvata-Vaisnavas. Of course, his delineations are not always correct and sometimes also a bit distorted. But, on the whole, they are realistic and give a concrete picture of the religious life of Kashmir of his time. The overall attitude of the author appears to be reformative and he takes a world view when he asserts a common thread of truth running through the conflicting views in the following verse:
एकः शिवः पशुपतिः कपिलोऽथ विष्णुः __ संकर्षणो जिनमुनिः सुगतो मनुर्वा । संज्ञाः परं पृथगिमास्तनवोऽपि काम
Har a qualche afta H: 11 IV. 57. Jayanta harps on the same view when he says नानाविधैरागममार्गभेदै
रादिश्यमाना बहवोऽभ्युपायाः। एकत्र ते श्रेयसि संपतन्ति
forat garat Ta slad : 11 IV. 54. The above strengthens the belief that Sankaravarman's royal policy of accepting all the ancient Agamas as valid was highly influenced by this liberal attitude of the philosopher-politician of his court.
Our main interest in this paper is to present Jayanta's view on the life of the Jaina monks, nuns and Srāvakas of his time. In the praveśaka of the second act of the drama we find that a Mīmāmsaka named Sankarşaņa (who was later on appointed superintendent of religious affairs of the state) has deputed an urchin to report about the presence of the Jaina Ācārya, Jinarakṣita by name, who was in all probability a historical figure contemporary to our author. The boy goes to the Jaina monastery and finds a state of affairs which is not elevating. He actively associates himself with the affairs, makes fun with the Jaina ascetic, nervous due to his moral weakness, and is offered some bribe before he departs.
Sankarşaņa now comes to Jinarakṣita who was surrounded by his disciples under a pipal tree. The Acārya was explaining the necessity
Page #3
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
________________
JAINISM IN JAYANTABHATTA'S AGAMADAMBARA : 177
of the study of the Jaina scripture and mortification of the flesh by the observance of austerities and vows (tapas and niyamas). Sankarşaņa began the conversation by paying high tributes to the Jaina ideal of asceticism :
न हिंसा नासत्यं न गृहवनवासव्यसनिता
न सक्तियापारे वचिदपि भवानन्तरफले। तपश्चेदं तीव्र व्रतनियमसंबाधमनघं
gaan #1=41 affig gertato II II. 7. On his enquiry, the Ācārya introduces the topic of anekānta as the most popular subject of discussion and quotes the verse :
एको भावः सर्वभावस्वभावः
सर्वे भावा एकभावस्वभावाः। एको भावस्तत्त्वतो येन दृष्टः
Hima Tet: 11 II. 8. which has its root in the sūtra go 319 Haarig of the Acárānga, the first book of the Jaina canon. This is criticized by Sankarşaņa in a superfluous manner. The Acārya does not want to prolong the disputation and goes away under the pretext of attending his monastic duties.
The hermitage and its peaceful surroundings attract the Mimāṁsaka.
Then enters an ascetic clad in red robe and uttering eulogy of the Agamas propounded by the Jainas, which are described as terse and excellent in sense as opposed to the Vedānta and the Vedas which are elaborate, confused and difficult to understand.
वेयंता दुत्तरंता तइकहियकहा वित्थरा संकुलस्था ___ अय्येहि तत्थ चिंतीयदि गहणगदी अत्थि नत्थीति अप्पा । दूरे तिखंतु ते मे परिहरिदुमिदं घोरसंसारदुक्खं
faari forihei fargforfora FTTH 3718TTET II II. 15. On being questioned the ascetic says that he has come to attend a feast arranged in the hermitage of Jinarakṣita by a liberal Jaina Śrāvaka. The ascetic enumerates the menu of the feast which included सत्तण रासीओ (heaps of barley powder), तेल्लघडिया (jars full of oils), कंजिय कुम्भीओ (sour gruel in pitchers), गूडकूळ्या (heaps of molasses) and तेल्लपक्काण Helt neapr (piles of food prepared in oil), all of these are acceptable to Jaina monks. Sankarşaņa enquires why there is absence of milk-products like curd and ghee? The reply comes that anything connected with a living organism is prohibited to a Jaina ascetic. He GJ.V. 12
Page #4
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
________________ 178 ; SHRI MAHAVIRA JAINA VIDYALAYA GOLDEN JUBILEE VOLUME further points to his own sandals made of dry leaves. The ascetic makes hurry in order to attend the feast. Sankarsana follows a few steps to have a glimpse at the big assembly. The ascetic gives a 'confused reply to the query about their accepting the authority of the Buddha---27 Epui 37 una fuga ito a g 1. He then points to different sects of the Jaina monks assembled there in thousands. The sects are enumerated and their distinguishing characteristics are mentioned as follows: अहो भद्दा आरहदा। भाविअप्पा (1) आरहदा / के वि दियंवरा, के वि रुक्खविदलमेत्तवसणा, के वि रत्तवासा के वि सेयवडा / पेक्ख दाव इदो इमे निद्दयलुंचणपसंगलक्खिजंतलोममूलविअलंतपविरलतणुअसोणिअकणा दियंबरा। इदो खु इमे बत्तुलवसूरचच्चिजन्तकोमलवकलंचला चीरवसणा। इदो खु इमे तक्खखपक्ककंदूउद्धरिअसरावसरिसवण्णवसणा भ वम्हभारिणो Galam I...... Well-behaved indeed are the Jaina monks ! They have cultured their mind indeed! Some of them are sky-clad, some are clad in dry leaves only, some again are clothed in red robes. Look at these sky-clad monks with bodies marked with drops of blood owing to cruel tearing off of hairs from the body. Look again at others clad in dry but soft leaves coloured with round vasura. Here are again ascetics who are clad in red robes resembling the blazing earthen disk just taken out of the kiln. This description of the practices and doctrines of the Jainas in Kashmir as found in a pre-Kalhana text is important from various points of view. There appears to be a confusion between the Jaina and the Buddhist practices. It is only the Buddhists who are allowed to partake of the food prepared for them. We do not find any reference from other sources to Jaina monks joining a feast. Jayanta himself refers to the Jaina monks as Bhiksabhujah-those that live on alms. The references to the anekanta doctrine, tapas and niyamas and also Digambara and Svetambara sects are correct though the details are not always verifiable. Jainism does not seem to be a flourishing religion in Kashmir in the days of Jayantabhatta though thousands of Jaina ascetics are stated assembled in the Asrama. Rather the picture drawn in the Agamadambara points to the fact that it has degenerated and lost much of its moral strength in the then Kashmir. Jayanta pays respects to the Jaina ideals and individuals like Acarya Jinaraksita. But the other side of the picture represented by the incident of the Ksapanaka and the Ksapanika points to a serious weakness in the society. The Buddhist receives more attention of the author. But Jainism commands more respect.