Agam 05 Ang 05 Study Of Bhagvati Vyakhya Prajnapti Sutra

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

Page 231

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least mentioned. In this story, Jamali is depicted with honour in the former half; and even the latter half relevant to his offences offers indifferent factual information of his misconduct without openly condemning him as a dissident. This careful treatment of his account becomes clear in comparison with that of Go'sala who is ridiculed throughout. Very soon the church authorities brought a verdict of guilty upon Jamali as the first nihnavaka when they had to compile the official history of the Jaina church. We have already placed this story in the early fifth canonical stage.
(3) Mahavira and his disciples
539 MV
MV. and Gautama (Indrabhuti, the 1st ganadhara) appearing as the catechist and the interlocutor in this formal catechistic style of writing do not convey their historical personalities. This is likewise true with the 2nd and the 3rd Gautamas (Agnibhuti and Vayubhuti, the 2nd and the 3rd ganadharas) appearing in II.1.125-32. A good number of MV's other disciples, lay or ascetic, also appear in the stage of the Bhagavati stories. However, these disciples were in majority used as the models of such and such type-story, and are therefore unlikely to be historical figures. If we exclude them along with MV's relatives treated above, there are only a few texts which convey some specific relationship held between MV and his disciples, namely, those pertaining to Gautama and Atimuktaka.
540
After delivering a sermon, MV calls Gautama in XIV.7.520 and says, "You. have been devoted to me for a long time, praised me, you have been known to me, served me, followed me, attended to me and co-operated with me since the last birth in heaven through to the immediately succeeding human life in the previous birth. But we will soon become equal (i.e., to attain siddhahood) after fulfilling this present life." This affectionate scene between MV and his favourite disciple is probably the product of the early fifth canonical stage when the church authorities were attempting to compile the historical account of MV and persons related to him. This theme then came to be developed later by Hemacandra in his Trişașt i-salaka-puruşa-caritra, for instance."
541
The story of Atimuktaka, a child monk, is told in V.4.187. One day, after heavy rain, Atimuktaka went out in response to the call of nature with his duster in armpit and his alms bowl in hand. He saw a small pipe-line from which water was flowing. He then clogged it with mud to stop the water flow, and started to play a boat game by floating his alms bowl on the water. His senior monk reported it to MV, who rebuked the monk saying no one should speak ill of this child as he would accomplish liberation in this very life.
542
In which life one attains salvation is a favourite topic of the canonical authors in the fourth-fifth stages. The Antakrt VI tells about the story of child