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 32

GENESIS OF THE JAINA SCRIPTURES
15
faith) is concerned.1 Consequently, according to this second definition any and every sacred work, Jaina or non-Jaina, is a Jaina scripture to a samyagdrsti.2 But I here do not use the phrase 'Jaina scriptures' in this wide sense but in the previous sense - the restricted sense. That is to say, I interpret 'Jaina scriptures' as authoritative works3 composed by eminent Jaina saints such as the Ganadharas, Śrutakevalins, 4 Dasapūrvadharas, Pratyekabuddhas and the like. To be explicit, I should now enumerate these works.
Bhadrabähusvämins is the last i. e. the 65th Śrutakevalin, in case we use this word Śrutakevalin in the strictest sense; if not, he is last but
1
"जं इमं अरहंतेहिं ... पणीअं दुबालसंगं गणिपियां... चोहसपुव्विस्स सम्मसुअं अभिण्णदसपुव्विस्स सम्मसुअं, तेण परं fairgun, à à "Nandi (s. 41). See also p. 14, fn. 2.
'Cf. the following lines ocurring in "The Linguistic Speculations of the Hindus" (p. 312) by Prabhatchandra Chakravarti', regarding Bhartṛhari:
"What he likes to impress upon us is that to a Brahmin who has Sanskrit as his mother tongue, a corrupt word (like gävi) may also convey the intended sense only by reminding him of the correct Sanskrit form (gauḥ) of which it is a corruption." 2 This is true in the case of some of the mithyadṛṣṭis too, in case works like the Vedas lead them to the right path and thus enable them to leave the non-Jaina fold and to become followers of Jainism. See the concluding lines of fn. 2 on p. 14.
3
In this connection, I may quote the following verse :
"अर्हयोक्तं गणधरदृब्धं प्रत्येकबुद्धदृब्धं च स्थविरग्रथितं च तथा प्रमाणभूतं त्रिधा सूत्रम् ॥"
5
This is quoted by Drona Sūri in his com. (p. 3a) on Ohanijjutti in support of his statement as under :
"अर्थतस्तीर्थंकरप्रणीतं सूत्रतो गणधरनिबद्धं चतुर्दशपूर्वधरोपनिबद्धं दशपूर्वधरोपनिबद्धं प्रत्येकबुद्धोपनिबद्धं च ।"
This idea can be seen in the following verse of Vattakerasvamin's Mūlāyāra (V), too: "सुत्तं गणधरकथिदं तहेब पत्तेयबुद्धि (द्ध) कथिदं च । सुदकेवलिणा कथिदं अभिण्णदरपुव्वकथिदं च ॥ ८० ॥"
4 The Prakṛta words for "śrutakevalin' are suyakevali and sudakevali. The former is used and defined by Kundakunda Sūri in his Pavayaṇasära (1, 33).
He died in Vira Samvat 170. So says Hemacandra Süri in his Parisistaparvan (IX, 112).
According to the Digambaras there are only five śrutakevalins, Bhadrabähu being the fifth. The names of the first four are ( १ ) विष्णु, (२) नन्दिमित्र, (३) अपराजित, ( ४ ) गोवर्धन. Some mention नन्दिन् for विष्णु Whatever it may be none of these four is known to have composed any scripture.
7 The strictest sense means to use the word 'Śrutakevalin' for one who is conversant with all the 14 Puvvas, both in words and meanings.