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64
FOREWORD
They maintain that most of the Āgamas like the Ācārānga, the Sūtrakştānga, etc., as we have them today, follow the Māthurž recension.
It is possible that with the passage of time many variants might have cropped up even in the recension of the Ägamas penned down by the Order of Jaina monks headed by Devardhigaņikşamāśramaņa. It is because many variants are indicated in the Cürnis and the VȚttis at many places. Moreover, Śīlācārya had before him the recension which was at places slightly different and at places widely different from the one that was before the authors of the Acārāngacūrni and the Sūtrakrtāngacūrni. This is the reason why śīlācārya gives vent to his mental distress by declaring that the model manuscript in consonance with the Tīkā (Cūrni) was not available to him41 (Refer to fn. 9 on p. 187). The two recensions of the first śrutaskandha, that were before the authors of the Cūrni and the Vrtti differ only slightly here and there. But the two recensions of the second śrutaskandha, that were before them differ widely at many places. This we have indicated in foot-notes (p. 127, fn. 26; p. 140, fn. 1; p. 150, fn. 15; p. 236, fns. 3, 8; p. 241, fn. 13, etc.).
The tradition of readings, available at present in the manuscripts of the Sütrakrtānga, is mostly in harmony with the one followed by the author of the Vrtti. Sometimes readings accepted by the author of the Cürni are also available in the manuscripts. The manuscript 08 yields many readings that are followed by the author of the Cūrni. For the convenience of the students of the Vrtti we have mostly accepted in the body of the text readings followed by the author of the Vrtti. All other readings are noted down in foot-notes. At some places we have accepted in the body of the text even those readings which are followed by the author of the Cūrņi.
It seems that in the Yāpaniya-sangha42 or the Digambara-sangha there existed somewhat different tradition of readings of the Sūtrakrtānga. (Refer to fn. 2 on p. 150).
In the preparation of the critical edition of the Sūtrakstängasūtra, we have consulted with profit many works like the Sūtrakrtāngacūrni, the Sūtrakstāngavrtti, the Āvaśyakacūrni. We have noted in the foot-notes many readings yielded by them. One should not get con
40. Ibid., pp. 33-35. Also Refer to Āmukha, p. 58. 41. Refer to the Prastāvanā to the present edition of the Sūtrakrtānga, p. 32,
1. 14. A quotation from the Sütrakrtāngasūtra is found in the Mülāradhanavrtti. Though the Mülārādhanā is held in high esteem in the Digambara Order, we are of the opinion that the authors of this work and its commentary were most probably the followers of the Yāpaniyasangha. For details one may refer to the Prastāvanā to the Strinirvana-kevalibhuktiprakarana.
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