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7. RECONSTRUCTION OF THE ORIGINAL
ARDHAMĀGADHI : AN ENDEAVOUR
The teachings of Lord Mahāvīra about the aspects of proper conduct like non-violence, as recorded in the First Uddeśaka of the Fourth Adhyayana of the First Śruta-skandha of the Acaránga, the most ancient text of the Jaina Ardhamāgadhī literature, are as follows :
"savve pānā savve bhūtā save jīvā savve sattā na hamtavvă na ajjāvetavvá na parighettavvá na paritāveyavvā na uddaveyavvā”. 1.4.132
This means : no being should be killed, nor should any being be tormented in any way. This is the pure, regular and eternal religion (Dharma) that has been taught by the self-realized souls.
The text of words of Lord Mahāvīra emphasizing this fact have been edited as follows in the different editions of the Ācārānga : (i) esa dhamme suddhe nitie sāsae samecca logan
kheyannehiṁ paveie (Schübring's Edn., 1.4.1); (ii) esa dhamme suddhe nije samicca loyaṁ kheyannehim
paveie (Agamo. Edn., 1.4.1.126); (iii) esa dhamme suddhe niie sāsae samicca loyam
kheyannehiṁ paveie (JVB. Edn., 1.4.1.2); (iv) esa dhamme suddhe nitie sāsae samecca loyaṁ
khetannehim pavedite (MJV. Edn., 1.4.1.132).
Among the words used in these four editions, the following readings of the text are not uniform :
(Sanskrit) (Schu.) (Agamo) (JVB.) (MJV.) 1. nitya = nitie
niie ņije w
nitie 2.sametya = samecca
samicca samicca) samecca 3.lokam = logam
loyam loyam
loyam 4.kşetrajñaiḥ = kheyannehim kheyaņņehim kheyaņņehin khetaņņehim 5.praveditaḥ = paveie paveie paveie
pavedite It is clear that these variant readings have been adopted, as per the different individual beliefs about the principles of the speech, (and not according to the historical and
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