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120
Nifitha. Only the monk who is capable of keeping the secret (rahasya) for ever is entitled to read it. The word rahasya in the Bhāsya indicates the upmanifest nature of the contents of the Nisitha.
Authorship-The Jajna Agamas were composed in two ways-(1) Krta and (2) Niryūdha (extracted). Those Āgamas which were composed independently were called Krta, for instance, the twelve angas were composed by the gañadharas and the upanga and the like by different sthaviras. The extracted Āgamas are-(1) Daśavaikälika, (2) Āyāra-cülā, (3) Niśitha, (4) Daśāśrutaskandha, (5) Brhatkalpa and (6) Vyavahāra.
Of these the Daśavaikälika was extracted by the Caturdaśapūrvi Sayyambhavasūri and the remaining five by Caturdaśapūrvi Bhadrabāhu.
Composition and Subject Matter
The Niśītha is the 5th cũlā of the Ācārānga. It has been recognized as an adhyayana and therefore it is also called Niśithādhya yana. It has twenty uddeśakas of which che first nineteen deal with prāyaścitta (atonement) and the 20th with the mode of imposing atonement. The contents are enlisted below. Uddeśaka Sūtrānka
Prayaścitta Másika anuddhātika (gurumasa) Māsika uddhātika (laghumäsa)
56
Cāturmāsika anuddhātika (laghu caturmāsa)
Cāturmasika uddhätika (guru caturmāsa)
16.
153
18.
19.
35
51
20.
The division of these uddeśakas has been made on the basis of five categories, viz. (1) mäsika uddhātika, (2) māsika anuddhātiku, (3) cüturmasika uddhātika,
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