Agam 05 Ang 05 Study Of Bhagvati Vyakhya Prajnapti Sutra

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

Page 267

629
630
631
632
633
235
While going through the process of filtering unworthy materials, the Bhagavati came to stand out as a work abounding in key texts. And together with this emerged a feature characterized as a collection of memoranda for the use of the Jaina theoreticians. If the Bhagavati gives us an impression that it might have been an exercise book for the Jaina theoreticians, it is because the work happened to be a collection of materials covering 1,000 years of canonical period, and there were constant calls to improve the contents of their thoughts and their methods of exposition. This feature is not so distinct in the other canonical texts, for they were generally compiled in a short period of time within certain restricted canonical stage/s. A few texts on lay conduct already make appearance in the pre-third canonical stage. The 12 Angas authorized at the Second Canonical Council include five story books. It was therefore not difficult for the Bhagavati to absorb some story passages in the fourth-fifth canonical stages, reflecting the then church policy that the 12 Angas were the common sacred codes for both ascetics and laymen. And we should remember that the Bhagavati stories in general pose the problems of jiua-ajiva in the guise of stories to edify lay followers.
Thus the said features of the Bhagavati emerged. And if the materials consisting of the Bhagavati nucleus were ever compiled as an independent work, all these features in the Bhagavati would not have arisen.
Added to this collection were the texts belonging to the fifth canonical stage, which are categorically of three groups: (A) Those in Satakas I-IX excluding X-sutras; (B) X-sutras in Satakas I-II; (C) Those in Satakas III-XLI. Let us consider each group one by one.
Group A
The texts falling in this group were composed in the early fifth stage through late fifth stage. Some of them were obviously retouched in the post-canonical period, e.g., VII.1.267 (cf. D-2b-2) and VII.2.271 (cf. D-2a-2). We learn from the Table of Synopsis that less than 1/3 of these texts are placed in the uddesakas having topical relevancy to the other texts, less than 1/3 without having any relevancy as such, and over 1/3 form independent uddesakas which include many story texts. This indicates that a conscious effort was made for the first time in this stage to integrate the newly composed texts in a coherent context. This must have been done by the editors of the Third Valabhi Council.
Group B
We have already discussed that X-sutras are composed in terms of reference the later Pannatti texts, i.e., Prajnapana, Jivajivabhigama (including Duipa sagara p.) and Jambudvipa p., and the references made to the other canonical texts are of negligible importance in the total context of X-sutras. These Xsutras in the majority constitute independent uddesakas, and those placed