Agam 05 Ang 05 Study Of Bhagvati Vyakhya Prajnapti Sutra

Author(s): Suzuko Ohira
Publisher: Prakrit Text Society Ahmedabad

Page 177

147
Part 1 (b)
"Calamane calie'
367
The Bhagavati inaugurates its discussion with the problem of 'calamane calie' (action in progress equals completed action), which in itself suggests its significant position in the context of the Bhagavati. This dictum makes its frequent appearance in the Bhagavati to explain certain types of problem falling in various subject fields, however it is hardly ever touched upon by the other canonical texts. It thus makes us presume that it involves itself with the peculiar nature of the Bhagavati, which deals with problems that it does not have in common with the other canonical texts.
368
"Kajjamane kade' expresses the concept of 'calamane calie' in more generic terms. It is logical and grammatical to maintain that any action in progress, either volitional or neutral, has been completed within its time limit, however it is difficult to maintain that any action in progress can be equated with its completed action. Let us illustrate this by the following diagram:
A
A
................................... A
Action in progress Completed action
A2
A'
A?
A*
369
At any given moment, action in progress equals its completed action within its time limit, i.e., A', A'... A . A . A!? belongs to the present progressive tense against A'- A2 which belongs to the present perfect tense; and both A. A'Z and A*. A? belong to the future tense against A'- A* which belongs to the past tense. The nature of action to be performed between A*. A'? and A*. A? may not be the same. There is absolutely no guarantee that the nature of A!? equals that of A? on the ground of the pariņāmavāda of the Jainas. Take, for instance, verbs such as "to appease" and "to cure". To say “appeasing in process equals the state fully appeased" or "curing in process equals the state fully cured" is as absurd as to hold the view that a novice who has just begun his practice for liberation equals a monk who has accomplished his end. Parinamavada acclaimed by the Jainas cannot tolerate the dictum 'kajjamāne kade', which thus failed to establish itself as the universally accepted cardinal law of the Jainas as so alleged by the fact that all the other canonical texts keep mum about it. The problem of 'kajjamane kade' must have thus arisen in the peculiar circumstances expressed in the Bhagavati itself.
370
This much is enough for us to suspect that this dictum is somehow related to Jamali's nihnava, because the Bhagavati is the earliest and sole text that collects a fairly good number of accounts relating to Mahavira's life and to the early church history of the Jainas including the Jamali story. The problem of nihnava is taken up in the Nandi and in the Visesava's yakabhasya which is a post-canonical work. Nihnava issues came to be taken up in these later texts