Agam 01 Ang 01 Acharanga Sutra

Author(s): K R Chandra, Dalsukh Malvania
Publisher: Prakrit Jain Vidya Vikas Fund Ahmedabad

Page 15

xili
as it is by evidence based on comparative documentation and assessment of all available textual data, in giving as a glimpse of some phonological and morphological features of the original Agamic Ardhamagadhi, of which we find a later forn in the Eastem Asokan.
Let us earnestly hope this important research work is further taken up by other students of the Ardhamāgadhi canon, at least with regard to the seniors of the canon, i.e. the texts of the first two canonical stages (see Suzuko Ohira : A Study of the Bhagavatisútra, chapter 1), for which Dr. Chandra has given the lead and has demonstrated the method.
Due to the inevitable impact of the dominant literary medium firstly in the times of the Mathurā recension (literary Sauraseni)and secondly during the times of Valabhi recension (literary Mahārāstri), several phonological and morphological traits of the original became gradually altered. Modem researches in the history of the development of Middle Indo-Aryan help us in ascertaining the original readings from the preserved text tradition.
This is of course one of the several aspects of the task of restoring the Āgamic texts. Tracing and locating old words and meanings, expressions, phrases, verses, stylistic devices, themes. legends and tales that are specific and commonly shared by the early stratum of the Ardhamăgadhi and the Pāli canonical texts, along with the chronologi 2) stratification (besides the help available from the Eastern Asokan) are other requisites for forming a sound, authentic and trustworthy idea of the original character of the Agamic texts and the historical changes they have undergrone. Considerable work of course has been already done by numerous scholars in this direction, which requires to be vigorously furthered.
Ahmedabad September 25, 1996
-Prof. H. C. Bhayani