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XIV
PARISISTAPARVAN,
borne out by the ancient Therāvalls of the Svetāmbaras which it will now be our task to examine more closely
Thoro nro two classes of Thoriyalis, (1) that of the Nandi and Avaýynka Sūtras, (2) those of the Kalpasūtra (Sthavirāvalı) They are in perfect agreement down to Mahāgiri and Sullastin, the pair of patriarchs in the cighth generation after Malāvira At that point the succession dircrges in two lines, one starts from Mahāgiri, the other from Suhastın, the first is recorded in Nandit and Avasyaka Sūtras, the second in the Kalpasūtra. Both Imcs arc of course entirely independent of each other, and hayo no member in common1 Almost all theras who figure in the ancient Kathanakas belong to the line of Suhastin As for as I am aware there is but one legend related of a member of the Mahūgiri-line, riz, Nangu, see Abhidhānarījendra Kosa, sv Mangu
Before we proceed in our inquiry, we must consider the denotation of the term thera in the Theravalls which has changed in the coursc of the time. It is stated in the beginning of the Stharıräralt of the Kalpasūtra that Mahavira had 11 ganadharas who administered 9 ganas The ganadharas left no successors with cxccption of Sudharman whose gana therefore eventually comprised the whole Jaina Church He becaue tlic highest authority of the whole Churck, as it were its pope At his death, 20 AV he left the pontificate to his disciple Jambū (died 6+ AV) And thus the supreme dignity and poner in the Joina Church devolved from teacher to disciple for seven generations The first seven members of the Therāralis are, therefore, ganadhara's after the fashion of Sudharman when gana and Church had become identical But, as stated above, in the eighth generation Mahāgır and Suhas. tin jointly ruled the Church, and from either originated a
2 An apparent exception are the four theras Dhamma, Bhaddagutta, Vaua, and Rakkhya sho belong to the Suhastın-line, bat in the Nandi Sūtra 31 32 are included in the Mahāgirı-line However, the verses in question are an interpolation as Prof Leumann has proved, 80e ZDMG, vol XXXVII, p 498