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OCTOBER, 1992
“That which is laid down by the Tirthankaras is Präbhrta. That which was imbibed by the Ācāryas and later on preached by them and carried over from predecessor to successor is Präbhsta. The Ācārya's only wealth is their learning.”
In the Appendix to Samaya Sära, it is said that when a vassal meets his lord, he offers his humble tribute to his lord. The soul in bondage is the vassal and the liberated soul is the lord. The Atma is striving to have a glimpse of the Paramātmā and, therefore, it makes a substantial tribute of the written word to the Paramätma. All Sastras are Prabhrta, offerings or gifts, by the Ācāryas to the Arhatas and the Siddhas.
Thus we have three shades of meaning of the word Pähuda or Präbhrta :
1. All that is written in Prakrit verse-form; 2. All that was spoken by the Tirthankaras and imbibed by the
Ācāryas and passed on to posterity; and 3. The written sästra offered at the feet of the Masters. Numbers
2 and 3 are two sides of the same coin.
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