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 31

14
THE CANONICAL LITERATURE OF THE JAINAS
without the Apocryphal (usually without article; also Holy scripture or the Ss.; a doctrine not found in S. or the Ss.); a or the quotation from the Bible; (attrib.) taken from or relating to the Bible (a s. text, lesson; cf. scriptural); sacred book of non-Christian community; (archaic) inscription."
From this it follows that leaving aside the archaic meaning of the word 'scripture' viz. 'inscription', it signifies a sacred book of any community, Christian or non-Christian. So one may naturally take the phrase 'Jaina scriptures' to mean sacred books of the Jainas. This view is correct, but I may add that the phrase can be interpreted in another way, too. In order that this may be easily realized, I shall give here two definitions of sammasuya (Sk. samyak-śruta) and two of micchāsuya (Sk. mithyā-śruta), as well. According to the 1st definition the dvādaśāngi and other scriptures based upon it – the works which are composed by the Jaina saints of a very high calibre, are classed as sammasuya whereas the works composed by the non-Jainas who are wanting in right knowledge are classed as micchāsuya.2 According to the 2nd definition, all the works included in these two classes are sammasuya so far as a samyagdrsti (one having a right sort of faith) is concerned, whereas they are micchāsuya so far as a mithyadrsti (one having wrong
1 The meanings of Apocrypha are given in this Dictionary on p. 50. They are :
“Books of old Testament included in Septuagint and Vulgate, but not originally written in Hebrew, nor counted genuine by Jews, and excluded from Canon at Reformation. In order that we can follow this we may note the meanings of Septuagint and Vulgate. They are respectively as under:
"Greek version of 0. T. including the apocrypha said to have been made about 270 B. C. by seventy translators."
"Latin version of the Bible prepared by Jerome late in the 4th c." 2 "जं इमं अण्णाणिएहिं मिच्छादिट्ठिएहिं सच्छंदबुद्धिमइविगप्पिरं तं जहा - भारहं रामायणं भीमासुरुक्खं कोडिल्लयं
सगडभद्दिआओ खोड(? घोडग)मुहं कप्पासि नागसुहमं कणगसत्तरी वइसेसियं बुद्धवयणं तेरासिअंकाविलिअं लोगाययं सट्ठितंतं माढरं पुराणं वागरणं भागवं पायंजली पुस्सदेवयं लेहं गणिअंसउणरुअं नाडयाई, अहवा बावत्तरि कलाओ चत्तारि अ वेआ संगोवंगा, एआई मिच्छदिहिस्स मिच्छत्तपरिगहिआई मिच्छासुअं, एयाई चेव सम्मदिहिस्स सम्मत्तपरिग्गहिआई सम्मसुअं, अहवा मिच्छदिहिस्स वि एयाई चेव सम्मसुअं, कम्हा ? सम्मत्तहे उत्तणओ, जम्हा ते of a ha h a 153T ATTUTTO 44 37 aifa, a 1931 "--Nandi (s. 42.)