Agam 01 Ang 01 Acharanga Sutra

SR No.: 001148
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Jambuvijay
Publisher: Mahavir Jain Vidyalay
Publication Year: 1977
Total Pages: 516
Language: Prakrit
Classification: Book_Devnagari, Agam, Canon, Conduct, & agam_acharang
File Size: 9 MB

Page 66

FOREWORD
Style: The style of the Acarangasūtra is described in the Curni, etc., of the Daśavaikālikasūtra as well as of the Sutrakṛtāngasūtra For this description one may refer to the fifth Appendix (Parisiṣṭa). The first Śruta-skandha is a composition in mixed verse and prose. Again, therein we find so many sentences which look like parts of verses. Formerly there were complete verses. But with the passage of time some portions of these verses were lost. So, there came into existence these sentences of broken verses.' This view is also plausible. (See Appendix V, p. 65, line 10.) In the second Śrutaskandha the sixteenth chapter is composed in verses and all the remaining chapters are mainly composed in prose.
65
Traditions of Readings: With the passage of time different readings cropped up in the Acärängasutra. The authors of the Curni and the Vṛtti accepted the versions that were before them and following those versions they wrote their commentaries. Hence, these two versions at some places in the first Śruta-skandha differ from one another but the difference is very slight. On the other hand, in the second Śruta-skandha the versions differ widely. There too from the tenth chapter onward there are many places where the difference of readings is very great (see p. 235 f.n. 3, p. 240 f.n. 1, p. 274 f.n. 7, p. 279 f.n. 6, etc.). The tradition of readings, followed by the author of the Curni is much older and better than the one followed by the author of the Vrtti. The version which we now find in different mss. is mostly in consonance with the tradition of readings, followed by the author of the Vṛtti.
There existed even in the Yapaniya-sangha a different and distinct tradition of readings of the Acārāngasūtra. This Yapaniya-sangha that resembled the Svetambara-sangha in some points and the Digambara-sangha in some other points existed in olden days.
In the preparation of the critical edition of the Acārāngasūtra, we have consulted with profit many works like Acārāngacurni, the Acārāngavṛtti and the Nisithacurni. We have noted in the footnotes many readings yielded by them. Though the page numbers, etc., are given according to the printed editions, the readings are given according to the old mss. So one should not get confused, noticing the difference between the noted readings and the actual readings found in those printed texts. Late Agama-Prabhakara Munirāja Shri Punyavijayaji took great pains to collect all these readings from various mss.
Appendices: The present critical edition of the Acarangasūtra is embellished with five useful appendices. Wherever in the Acārāngasūtra there occurs the repetition of the same or similar textual portion, the concerned textual portion is abridged by the usage of 'java' or numerals. All the textual portions that are suggested by 'jāva' or