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1. Number of Sutras - The number of sutras that are considered authoritative in the ‘Bhashya’ category is 344, while the number of sutras accepted in the ‘Sarvarthasiddhi’ category is 357.
2. Meaning Variation - Although there are differences in the number of sutras and sometimes in the phrasing, there are three instances where there are significant differences in meaning from the original sutras; in all other cases, there is no significant difference in meaning from the original sutras. These three instances pertain to (1) the topic of heaven, where there are references to twelve and sixteen (4.20), (2) the topic of the independent existence or non-existence of time (5.38), and (3) the topic of the existence or non-existence of the four types of merit-nature, including laughter (8.26).
3. Textual Variation - Apart from the mutual differences in the two sutra texts, there also arise differences within each of these sutra texts themselves. If we separate the textual differences indicated by the author of Sarvarthasiddhi, it can generally be stated that all Digambara commentators do not report any textual differences in the Sarvarthasiddhi-authoritative sutra text. Therefore, it can be said that whatever sutra text was received and edited by revered Acharya when writing the Sarvarthasiddhi has been unanimously accepted by all later Digambara commentators, whereas this is not the case with the Bhashya-authoritative sutra text. Although this sutra text is unified in the Shvetambara tradition, there are numerous instances where phrases from the commentary are incorporated as sutras, where sentences that are fundamentally considered as one sutra are counted as commentary in several places, where fundamentally a single sutra is divided into two parts, and where fundamentally two sutras combine to form a single sutra. Such textual discussions regarding the variations of the sutras are evident from the commentaries of both traditions.
4. Authenticity - The question of which among these two sutra texts is the original and which is the modified one naturally arises. Based on the discussions so far, I have come to the conclusion that the Bhashya-authoritative sutra text is indeed the original or is very close to the original sutra text compared to the Sarvarthasiddhi-authoritative sutra text.
1. See 2.53. 2. See 2.19; 2.37; 3.11; 5.2-3; 7.3 and 5, etc.