Agam 05 Ang 05 Bhagvati Vyakhya Prajnapti Sutra Part 01

Author(s): K C Lalwani
Publisher: Jain Bhawan Publication

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Sūtra into several groups of 'uniform content'. These may be very important scholastic issues and are matters of opinion. For the purpose of present translation, however, the Sutra has been taken in its entirety, and the translator has, at no stage, allowed himself to be swayed or swerved by scholastic opinions. The main job being to present the text through English medium, his supreme concern has been to accomplish this task, not even disturbing the form in which the Sutra exists in the original Ardha-Magadhi so far as possible, so that the reader may enjoy the spirit of the original through this English version. The reader is advised to wend through the text in this spirit and judge to what extent the work has been effective.
The Bhagavati Sūtra contains 41 Satakas, each comprising of 10 Uddeśakas, which for the present work have been called Books and Chapters respectively. The text, according to Law, follows "the uddesa and niddesa methods, the first implying the presentation of thesis and the second their elucidation." A Sataka starts with a couplet which gives in a precise form the contents of the 10 Chapters following, takes note of the time, place and occasion of the dialogue/discourse, mentions personalities taking part in it, and points to their inner cohesion, so that, it would appear, a single thread runs not only through the Uddeśakas making a Śataka, but also through the Satakas themselves. Śramana Bhagavān Mahāvīra apart, the most dominant personality in the Sūtra is Indrabhūti Gautama, the first Gaṇadhara of the Śramana Bhagavān, a profound scholar and master of four types of knowledge. Indrabhūti asks questions in all humility and curiosity, while the Śramana Bhagavan provides answers with extreme patience, affectionately addressing his dear disciple on each occasion as 'Goyama'. At times, other personalities have been brought in, for instance, Arya Roha, Kālāsavesiyaputra who was a follower of Parśva, the layfollowers at Tungikā, the celebrated Skandaka, in the present volume, and these have provided the much needed relief to the reader.
The standpoint of Jainism as presented in the Bhagavati Sūtra is in no way different from that presented in other Agamas. The fundamental principle of Jainism is ahi nsa, and to get into its true spirit, one must have a complete understanding of the