Jaina Epistemology

SR No.: 006738
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Indra Chandra Shastri
Publisher: Parshwanath Vidyapith
Publication Year: 1990
Total Pages: 516
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 21 MB

Page 35

10
Epistem ology of Jainas
the ninth one in absence of revision. Gradually, the knowledge deteriorated and 1000 years after the death of Mahāvīra there was none to preserve it, even to the extent of complete one Pūrva. According to Digambarass this situation arose earlier i.e. 683 years after the death of Mahāvīra. This is a brief account, how the Pūrva literature was lost.
2. The Council of Mathura : Eight hundred years after the death of Mahāvīra there was another famine lasting for 12 years. When it was over the learned monks assembled at Mathura under the presidentship of Arya Skandila. They arranged Kālikaśruta in this council. According to another version Skandila was the only person, at that time, to know anuyogas. In the council he imparted their knowledge to other sādhus. Skandila was yugapradhāna between 826 and 840 years4 after the death of Mahāvīra. The same time can be assigned to this council also. The speciality of it was that it introduced writing for preservation of the Agamas.
3. At the same time when Skandila held his council at Mathura, Nāgārjuna held another council at Valabhi. He collected all the literature that was prevalent in oral tradition, arranged it systematically and put it on the paper.
These two councils slightly differ from each other in their readings. The reading of Mathura is known as Māthuri-Vācanā and that of Valabhi goes with the name of Nāgārjuna. The Edition by Devardhi Gamin
About 150 years after these two councils, Devardhi Ganin held another council at Valabhi. He attempted at the preservation of miscellaneous literature which was not arranged so
1. Bhagavatt 2.8, Sattarisayathana, p. 327 2. Dhavalā Int. p. 27 3. Nands Cūrņi, p. 8 4. Vira Nirvana, p. 104 5. Ibid., p. 110 6. Ibid., p. 116