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Haribhadrasūri's Vimsati-Vimsatikā
95 9. Śrāvaka-dharma—The Duties of a Householder. 10. Śrāvaka-pratimā—The eleven observances of a
Householder. 11. Yati-dharma—The Duties of a Monk. 12. Dvividhā-śikṣā—Two-fold Religious Instruction. 13. Bhikṣā-vidhi—The Mode of collecting alms. 14. Tad-antarāya—Unforeseen obstacles in the way of
partaking the alms. 15. Ālocanā-vidhi—The Mode of Confession of Faults. 16. Prāyàścitta-vidhi—The Mode of Atonement of Sinful
Acts. 17. Yoga-vidhāna—The Mode of Yoga. 18. Kevala-jñāna—Perfect Knowledge. 19. Siddha-vibhakti-Categories of Liberated Souls. 20. Siddha-sukha-Perfect Bliss of Liberated Souls.
This list of topics dealt with in the W, is comprehensive and covers some of the most important aspects of Jainism. The work, therefore, though short, is comprehensive and may rightly be described as a Prakaraņa(-grantha). · The Nature of a Prakarana(-grantha)
The dictionary gives the meaning of Prakaraña as (i) a subject, topic; (ii) a species of drama with invented plot. These meanings are not relevant in the context of the work on hand. Another definition of a Prakarana runs as follows:
Šāstraikadeśa-sambaddhań śāstra-kāryāntare sthitam/ Āhuḥ Prakaraṇam nāma grantha-bhedaṁ vipaścitaḥ//
According to this definition, a work which aims at expounding some important tenets relating to a system of thought is called a Prakarana-grantha. The two phrases in the first half of the above stanza amount to the same thing: “Related to or dealing with a portion or section or part (ekadeśa) of a Šāstra, mean one and