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... Introduction
There is a misconception that the 15 Kshamashramanas are all the same. Muni Shri Kalyanvijayji also fell prey to this misconception, but based on the mentions, while the guru of Devadhh is Ary Shandilly, the guru of Devavachka is Dushyagani. Therefore, it is certain that Devavachka and Devadhh are not the same person. Devavachka has explicitly mentioned Dushyagani in the Nandi Sutra Sthviravali.
Pandit Dalsukhabhai Malvaniya has considered the time of Devavachka to be Veer Nirvana Samvat 1020 or Vikram Samvat 550, but this is considered to be the final period. Devavachka would have existed before that. The mention of Nando and Anuyogadwar Sutras is in the Avashyak Niyukti, and if Avashyak Niyukti is also considered to be the work of the second Bhadrabahu, then its time is proven to be the first half of the fifth century Vikram. Based on all these grounds, it is certain that the Nandi Sutra, composed by Devavachka, is a work of the first half of the fifth century AD. In this context, we will direct you to see the discussion related to the time of Devavachka in the introduction of the Nandi Sutra by Muni Shri Punyavijayji and Pandit Dalsukhabhai Malvaniya for special knowledge. Since the Nandi Sutra mentions Mahapratyakhyan, based on this evidence, we can only say that this text was created before the 5th century AD. But it is difficult to say what the upper limit of its composition could be. Many stories of the Mahapratyakhyan Prakirnak are found in ancient Agamas like Uttaradhyayana, in Avashyak Niyukti, Uttaradhyayana Niyukti and Ogh Niyukti etc. Niyuktis and in Maran Vibhakti, Atur Pratyakhyan, Chandravedhyak, Titthogali, Sanstark, Aradhana Pataka and Aradhana Prakaran etc. Prakirnaks, as well as in the accepted texts of the Yapaneya and Digambar traditions, Bhagwati Aradhana, Mulachar, Niyamsar, Samyasar, Bhavpahuḍ etc. All these texts are from the middle of the 5th-6th century AD. Although it is difficult to determine here whether all these stories have been taken from these texts into Mahapratyakhyan or whether these stories have gone from Mahapratyakhyan into these texts, yet it can be assumed that the stories that are later than Nandi must have gone from Mahapratyakhyan. Especially the similar stories available in Mulachar, Bhagwati Aradhana etc. must have gone from Mahapratyakhyan directly or indirectly. Again, the sub...