Treasury of Jain Tales

SR No.: 006762
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: V M Kulkarni
Publisher: Shardaben Chimanbhai Educational Research Centre
Publication Year: 1994
Total Pages: 468
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 17 MB

Page 34

xxi
author of the niryukti leaves no doubt that they (the stories) already existed before him in a fuller form, either in an oral or a written tradition; for, without such traditional information, the verses of the niryukti are quite unintelligible."
Bhasyas and Mahābhāsyas:
Sanghadāsa-gani Ksamāśramana wrote Kalpalaghubhāsya and Pañcakalpa and Jinabhadragani Kşamāsramana wrote Visesāvasyakamahābhāsya. Five other works of this type are Kalpabrhad-bhâsya, Vyavahāra-bhāsya, Nisithabhāsya, Jitakalpa bāsya and Oghaniryukti-mahābhāsya. The authors of these works are however unknown. Some of the bhāsyas are written keeping in view the original text as there were no niryuktis written on them.
Curnis :
Cūrnis on several agama texts are available today, for example, on Acāranga, Sūtrakrtānga, Bhagavati, Avasyaka, Dasavaikālika, Uttarădhyayana, etc. On Dasavaikālikawe have two cürnis, one by sthavira Agastyasimha and another by an unknown author. Some of these cūrnis are extensive. The names of the authors of all the curnis are not known. Besides Agastyasimha, we have the names of Jinabhadragani ksamāsamana (on Angulapada in Anuyogadvāra) and Sivanandi-vācaka (on Jyotiskarandaka) as cürnikāras.
Like the niryuktis the cūrnis too are commentaries in Prakrit. Dr. Ghatage's description of the cūrni on Uttarādhyayana might give a good idea of the nature of a cūrni as a commentary: "The stories of the curni are brief and in Prakrit prose, giving the main details of each and avoiding all elaboration, told in a very terse language and often merely indicating the topics to be included in
37. Kahanaya-Tigam, A Prakrit Reader, ed. by Dr.A.M.Ghatage, &
pub. by Bharat Book Stall, Kolhapur, 1950, p.25. 38. Ibid, pp.28-29. 39. Ibid, p.30