Early Jainism

SR No.: 001520
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: K K Dixit
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad
Publication Year: 1978
Total Pages: 120
Language: English
Classification: Book_English, Agam, Canon, & Philosophy
File Size: 7 MB

Page 12

Some Noteworthy Features...
a popular descendant of Vedic Sanskrit--as its language of theoretical discourse, just as the Brāhmanical tradition adopted classical Sanskrit-a refined descendant of Vedic Sanskrit -as its language of theoretical discourse: It seems that the early Prakrit lessons in asceticism were composed in verse and they differed from teacher to teacher, but at a certain stage of development the need was feit for a standard text-book for the purpose. So the old miscellaneous verses were given some sort of arrangement and the result was our Ācārānga I whose old name, significant enough, was Brahmacaryāņi (Bambhacerāim in Prakrit)-roughly meaning "lessons for the student'. Thus originated the mat. erial of Acarânga I might not be all equally old, but certainly it constitutes the oldest portion of the Jaina canon. Schubring's epoch-making discoveries related to Acäränga I all perhaps plausibly acccunted for this way.
While Acaringa I was being used as a basic text-book for the monastic schools the need must have been felt for elucidating in a systematic fashion the important priociples underlying its rather beterogeueous teachings. For this purpose too verses were composed in Prakrit mostly employin the Tristubh or Anuştubh metre. At some late date a standard collection of 16 such verses was made and was appropriately called Gätbásodasaka (gābāsolasaga in Prakrit ). It is this that is our Sūtrakstānga l; ( 7 of its 16 chapters are in the Anuştubh metre, 6 in Tţiştubh, one in Vaitāliya, one in old Aryā, while one is anomalously in prose).
Thus really speaking, our present-day Acārānga is made up of the old Brahmacaryāni and its relating late Second Srutaskandha while our presentday Sütrakriárga is made up of the old Gatbāsodasaka and its relating Jate second Srutaskandha. In all likelihood these two present-day texts were brought into existence at a relalively late date when the need was felt for certain texts-twelva in number-to be called 'Anga' and declared to be the basic scriptural texts, it does not seem likely that Brahmacaryāni alone was ever called Acărānga or Gātbāşıdaśaka alone Sutrakrtānga). Be that as it may, a probe into the contents of Acärānja I and Satrakrtānga I brings to light a good number of truly archaic features. To put in a nutshell they are
(1) Unconditional emphasis on world renunciation, (2) Extremely Hard Ascetic Life. (3) Arambha and Parigreha, the worst sins. (4) The Inanimate and Animate objects of Parigraha. (5) The Sixfuld objects of Arambha. (6) Kaşaya and mahāvrata no well-established concepts.