History of Canonical Literature of Jainas

SR No.: 006541
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Hiralal R Kapadia, Nagin J Shah
Publisher: Prakrit Text Society Ahmedabad
Publication Year: 2010
Total Pages: 322
Language: English
Classification: Book_English, Agam, Canon, & History
File Size: 17 MB

Page 238

COMPARISON AND EVALUATION
221
at times as disconnected members of a joint family.1 Commentators have tried their level best to show how a subsequent sutta is connected with the preceding one; but, even then this has failed to satisfy some of the modern critics. The nature of some of the suttas is such that the free translation is desirable, and Mr. G. J. Patel in his nivedana (p. 5) to Ayāra has already said so, while justifying as to why he has preferred chāyānuvāda to the literal translation. In doing so he has said that the method he has adopted is one approved of by Prof. A. B. Dhruva.2 In this very Āyāra we find that Prof. Schubring splits up sentences - suttas in a way that differs from one to be noticed in the Āgamodaya Samiti edition. So it seems that the suttas are so composed that there is ample space for such differences of opinion. Perhaps this is true not only in the case of the Jaina suttas but also in the case of some of the Bauddha suttas and Vaidika sūtras, too.
The word sutta is used in special senses in the Jaina canon, as is the case with the words dharma, nāma (Anuogaddāra S. 124), astikāya, darśana, hetu, karman, gama, gaccha, tiryac etc. One of them is defined as under in Kappanijjutti mixed up with its Bhāsa :
“अप्पग्गंथ महत्थं बत्तीसादोसविरहियं जं च । लक्खणजुत्तं सुत्तं अट्ठहि य गुणेहिं उववेयं ॥२७७॥"
From this it will be seen that brevity of expression is only one of the characteristics of a sutta, the others being absence of 32 defects and presence of 8 attributes. These 32 defects are treated in v. 278-281, and the 8 attributes in v. 282. Verse 3104 gives the various etymologies of the word sutta, and they, too, point out the special significance of this word. Verse 2855 defines a sutta spoken of by an omniscient being, and
1. They can be grouped as has been done by Mr. G. J. Patel in his translation of
Anga V. 2. “આયારંગસૂત્રનો આ અનુવાદ સૂત્રકૃતાંગના અનુવાદની માફક છાયાનુવાદ જ છે. જૂનાં આગમોની બાબતમાં એ
અનુવાદપદ્ધતિ જ વધુ ઉપયોગી છે,” એમ આચાર્યશ્રી આનંદશંકરભાઈ જેવા શાસ્ત્રજ્ઞ પંડિતોએ પણ કબૂલ કર્યું છે. (Translation : Even pundits well-versed in scriptures, like Ācārya Anandshankarbhai, accepted : "Like the translation of Sūtrakrtānga, this translation of Āyaramgasūtra is only the chāyānuvāda. In the case of old Āgamas, only this method of translation
is more useful." 3. Sutta is also defined on p. 186. See fn.2. 4. सुत्तं तु सुत्तमेव उ अहवा सुत्तं तु तं भवे लेसो। अत्थस्स सूयणा वा सुवुत्तमिइ वा भवे सुत्तं ॥३१०॥" 5. "370GettiRead fra Parigi I MART age HOLEHIFAI TERC411"