ISJS Jainism Study Notes E5 Vol 02

SR No.: 007712
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: International School for Jain Studies
Publisher: International School for Jain Studies
Publication Year: 2012
Total Pages: 404
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 13 MB

Page 356

B.6.0.d
Acārānga Dr. Shugan C. Jain
The oldest holy texts of Jains are called canons or agama consisting of twelve limbs (Dvādaśāngas) and considered as direct compilations of Mahāvīra's sermons by his chief disciples known as ganadharas. Ācārānga, or sometimes called as Sāmāyika or Ayāro in Prakrit, is the first of these Dvādaśāngas. Beginning with the inquisitiveness about the soul, this is the basic holy text of Jains about the conduct of the Jain ascetics. Soul is an existent and it is eternal and going through transformation continuously also (i.e. not inert). Further soul is the doer and enjoyer of its actions, there is bondage and liberation of karmas associated with the soul which are all basic elements of Jain ethical postulates and described in details in this text. Ācārānga defines right conduct, based on non-violence as activities of mind, body and speech without attachment and aversion.
Samavāyānga, another limb of the canons, indicates Ācārānga comprising two volumes but it appears that in the beginning there was only one volume. The second volume, written in different style and having appendices appear to have been created by Bhadrabāhu-Il who indicated the name of first volume as Ācārānga while the second volume was named as Navabrahmacarya. Ācārānga consists of nine sections named as Satthapariņņā; Lokavijaya; Śitoşnijja; Sammatta; Avanti; Dhyūta; Vimohāyaṇa; Uvahāyaṇasuya and Mahāpariņņā sequentially. However later writers of commentaries etc have indicate different sequences and at times names of these sections /chapters. Further there are 51 subsections of these nine chapters with ninth chapter reported as missing. Bhadrabāhu-II and Digambara writers indicate the size of Acāranga as 18000 words which are substantially more than available
today.
Commentaries and other texts on Acārānga The text itself is supposed to be composed by Ganadhara Sūdharmā while listening to Mahāvīra. Hence its time can be estimated to be approximately 550BC. Ācārānga is composed in Ardhamāgadhi (Prakrit language of the common man of Magadha). However its composition as text, as available today is assigned to Devardhigani in 5th century AD and further commented by śīlanka in the 8th century AD. The text is composed in prose, sutra, verse and mixed forms at different places.
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