Agam 05 Ang 05 Study Of Bhagvati Vyakhya Prajnapti Sutra

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

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CHAPTER I
CONCLUSION
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Our task of a chronological analysis of the sutras in Satakas I-XX is over, and its results have been entered in the final column of the table in Chapter I. We have previously posed a series of questions, i.e., (1) Which texts constitute the Bhagavati nucleus and what is its nature?, (2) How and why it developed into the present form?, and (3) What is the position of the Bhagavati in the Jaina canonical literature? Let us answer these problems in this chapter of conclusion.
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That Satakas XXI-XLI belong to the fifth canonical stage has been already testified by Dixit in his article, "A Recent Study of Bhagavatisutra Reviewed ", by analyzing their formal structure exhibiting a uniform methodical tendency of the authors in utilizing the earlier materials. Excluded from this uniform structural construction is Sataka XIV: its Udde's akas 1-5 deal with the ontological problems of jiva-ajiva (six dravyas) and the rest of Udde'sakas 6-12 deal with ethical problems relevant to nirgranthas, samyatas and samsari jivas. This Sataka XXV is a collection of systematic treatises on these subject matters, which distinguishes itself from Satakas I-XX that on the whole consist of a disorderly assembly of numerous fragmentary passages on various topics. XXV.3 takes up the problems of sansthana and 'sreņi involving yugma method. The T.S. is acquainted with the ethical problems handled in this 'sataka in general. However, Umasvati does not make use of the list of the later so-called 14 jivasamasa which occurs in XXV.1.716 in terms of 14 samsari samāpannaka jivas. The former portion of this 's ataka pertaining to the ontological problems is probably a post-Umasvati product.
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As already examined by Deleu, XXVI-XL I which deal with the ontological problems including jiva, ajiva and karma can be conceived as a whole in terms of the structure of their subdivisions, i.e., (1) XXVI-XXX>XXX II-XXXIV; (2) XXXI-XXXI> XXXI-XL and XLI.' And it is a salient feature of Satakas XI-XLI that they are dividable into distinct formal groups, i.e., XXI-XXII, XXIV, XXV, XXVIXXX, XXX I XXXII, XXXIII-XXXIV, XXXV-XL and XLI. XXI-XXI reproduce the materials dealt with in XI.1/8.408-15 (X-sutras: reference is made to the Prajnapana); XXV.3.731 refers to the Nandi for the information on the 12 Anga ganipitakas; XXV.4.733 refers to XVI.4.623 for the yugma method; XXV.4.737 refers to the Prajnapanā XI; XXV.5.748 refers to the Jivajivabhigama for the information of nigoda; and XXV.5.749 refers to X VI.1.592 (X-sutra: reference is made to the Anuyogadvara). The yugma method is developed into kşudremahā-ra'si yugmas in Satakas XXXI-XXXI, XXXV-XL and XLI. Also vaggas and avantara'satas (sub-satakas) become the popular and formal divisions of these 'satakas. It is thus indisputable that Satakas XXI-XL I belong to the fifth canonical stage, which are placed after the former twenty 'satakas due to their formal distinction taking the form of a collection of systematic treatises on