Agam 01 Ang 01 Acharanga Sutra

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

Page 339

परिशिष्ट
305
there are many variants found in different editions, recensions and manuscripts.
At the outset it appears to me a futile exercise on the part of the author so far as the sanctity of Jaina canons is concered because unlike Vedic texts the Jaina canons do not attach much importance to the 'word'. They are only concerned with the 'true meaning' as is often said :
__ अत्थं भासइ अरहा सुत्तं गंथंति गणहरा निउणं ।
How does it matter whether it is अत्ता or आया or आता for 34/7. What matters is that the reader should know the sense of 31641. The variants do not change the meaning and consequently the sanctity of the sacred text remains as it is whereas in the field of Vedas the 'word' has the supreme role to play, because the Veda is word-dominated (276-GET) sacred text. Not only the word even the accent is equally important. Even the slight shifting of the accent inadvertently will change the meaning of the word. This is the reason that even today the Vedic text is found intact even after a long long period of five thousand years.
The position of the sacred Jaina texts is different. Had it been like that of the Vedas there would not have been the problem of variants faced by the learned author today.:.
But inspite of what has been said above the effort on the part of the author is wonderful and as such highly commendable. In order to satisfy the curiosity and a long standing need of the lovers of Jaina literature and maintain the editorial discipline, the direction shown by Dr. Chandra is an eye-opener. The curiosity of all of us is there to reach as near as possible to the saying of the Lord Tirtharikara if not the exact words which he uttered with his lotus like mouth.
This wonderful book under review comprises two sections. Section I contains the case-study of the variants of a few Ardhamāgadhi words from the Ācārānga Pt. I. The author has restricted his study to the following words :
Ten, en, tafany, anal, 14:, tab, 12914, 31941fcah,