Agam 01 Ang 01 Acharanga Sutra

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

Page 325

परिशिष्ट
291
of Brahmanical Mahāpurăņas, Candragupta Maurya was coronated in 1530 B.C. which I follow). But that does not affect the historicity of the first Vācană at Patalipūtra. I, however, doubt whether the AMG Canon was settled in that Vācanā or whether some time later but before Māthuri Vācanā. We come across references to the Vācanã at Mathurā. I wish to know if there are references to Pātaliputra Vācanā in the Canon. The same is the case with the Pāli Canon. Although Mahā Kassapa took the lead to collect the Buddha Vacana in the 1st Sangiti at Rājagrha, scholars do not believe that the present Pali canon is the same as in the first Sangiti at Rājagsha.
Apart from this, Dr. Chandra deserves our thanks for collecting linguistically interesting and important material in this chapter. There is no doubt that AMG was an East Indian language, though its name is rather enigmatic. Geographically it is supposed to belong to a “Half of Magadha”. But which Half ?' And what language was spoken in the other half of Magadha ? Linguistically AMG does not share the differentia of Māgadhi viz. the change of Sk. Ș, Ś, S to Ś and uniform change of Sk. R to L, Hemacandra rightly calls it ARŞA. Pāli and AMG are like the Sindhu and the Brahmaputrā. They rise from the Mānasa Lake, but flow in different directions. The samc had happened in the case of Pāli and AMG. They belonged to practically the same region. But Pali was fortunate to get royal support and was preserved better. When it came to be fixed at the time of king Kaniska in Kashmir, its linguistic form remained more ancient. The history of Pali does not mention or reflect the effect of the great famine in the reign of Candragupta Maurya. Jain sages depending on public support had to migrate and those sages who remained behind retained with difficulty their Canon. The influence of Mahārāstri on AMG is duc to the westward migration of the Magadhan sages. Pali also did not retain its pristinc purity as the influence of Paiśāci on it shows. Hence the acceptance of Pali for ascertaining old AMG needs some caution. I write this for young scholars. Dr. Chandra has correctly traced the old AMG form for Kșetrajña. His attempt to trace oid AMG on the basis of available material in chapter eight is