Amrita Collected Papers by A M Ghatage

SR No.: 006968
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Jitendra B Shah
Publisher: Kasturbhai Lalbhai Smarak Nidhi Ahmedabad
Total Pages: 530
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 10 MB

Page 340

The Text of the Tatvārthādhigama-sūtrāņi
331
knew it, to be not the work of the writer of the Sūtras.
About the development of the present Sūtras it is not possible to state anything with confidence and with an air of certainty. It is only a few suggestions and traces of such a development that we can hope to glean in the existing work itself. If we look at chapters three and four of the present work we find many traces to conclude that they may be later additions to the original work. One fact that strikes us at the beginning is the presence of the two names that are given to these chapters, the Lokaprajñapti and Devagatipradarśana, while the names of the other chapters are not found or did not exist. The names of these two chapters are such that they indicate the nature of these sections as independent works, and other works bearing similar titles are found in Jain literaturel. Moreover, the two recensions of the Sūtras are found to differ unusually at a greater length in these two chapters only. In the third, the Svetāmbara recension has only 18 Sūtras while the Digambara one counts as many as 39, leaving a difference of 21 Sūtras. The difference of the fourth chapter is 11 while the next greatest difference is only 5 found in the 7th chapter. This is a clear indication to show that these two chapters are of a later origin. One more argument that is to be noted in this connection is the defective arrangement of the fourth chapter. We usually find Umāsvāti very consistent and accurate in arranging his material. But such is not the case with this chapter. It begins with the statement that gods are divided into four groups, and what we next expect is the names of these four Nikāyas. But the next Sūtra states that the third group is characterised by the yellow Leśyā. Another fact pointing to a similar conclusion is the style of the Bhāsya on these two chapters which differs from the remaining portions.
Another group of Sūtras that intrude on the general arrangement of the work is found in chapter fifth and includes Sūtras 29-31. In fact Sūtra 3220 should naturally follow without a break on Sūtra 28 as being of the same train of thought. An external indication to show the interpolatory character of these Sūtras is the difference which the comments of both Siddhasena and Haribhadra show in accepting the extent and wording of the text. Moreover the general discussion of the nature of existence should either come at the end of the chapter as is the case with the general discussion about Drāvya, or if possible at the beginning. Again the enumeration of the four Nayas based on sūtra 31 should have been dealt with in the first chapter where the topic was once opened. The Nature of these Nayas and their novel names and the great pains that Siddhasena takes to make them square with