________________
... [ 238)...
gotamamäti sämãiyam tu kim kāranam nisamenti nānassa tam tu suņdaramimgulabhāvāna uvaladdhi || 528 ||”
--Višeşávaśyaka, 2594-96 The gist of these gathas is as follows: Lord Mahavira preached Sâmāyika-Adhyayanı. He preached the meaning embodied in Sāmāyika-Adhyayana, and his direct principal disciples (ganadharas) Gautama etc. listened to it. Thus according to Ac. Bhadrabāhu Tirthankara is the author of the meaning embodied in SāmāyikaAdhyayana whereas Ganadhara is the author of the Sūtras. In other words, Tirthankara preaches the principles, and Ganadharas put them into writing.24
Namaskaramantra constitutes the opening of Sāmāyika-adhyayana. Or, it can be said that the lesson of Samāyika-śruta is imparted to a pupil after he has saluted the five holy personages through the recitation of Pañcanamaskāra-mantra25; this is the reason why this Mantra is placed in the beginning of Sāmāyikaadhyayana. Now there arises a question as to whether it is a part and parcel of Sāmāyika-adhyayana or is it borrowed from some other work.
The answer to this question is given by Āc. Jinabhadra. It is as follows. In Nandisūtra Pañcanamaskara is not regarded as an independent śrutaskandha. Yet it is a fact that it is a Sūtra and what is more a mangala also. Hence it should be regarded as forming a part of all Sūtras26. This is the only reason why it is expounded first and then only Sāmāyika-adhyayana27. This same order is followed by him also in his Višeşāvaśyakabhäsya.
From his discussion it definitely emerges that Namaskaramantra is not a part of Āvaśyakasūtra alone, but that it might have been placed, first of all, in Avaśyakasūtra since the time when the tradition of performing, in the beginning of all śruta works, a mangala of the form of salutation to holy personages started. It is so because there is a tradition to impart a lesson of Sāmāyika first from among the entire śruta literature. And before imparting its lesson to a pupil performance of benediction in the form of salutation to five holy personages being necessary Pañcanamaskāramantra came to be looked upon as a part of Sāmāyika-adhyayana.
ito
onis. This
24. According to general belief all Tirthankaras preach Sāmāyika. - Niryukti,
gā. 238; Višeşāvaśyaka, gå. 1676. But Lord Mahāvīra is the preacher of the extant śruta. So, from this standpoint he alone is considered to be the author of Samāyika also. -Višeşāraśyakabhāşya, gā. 1544;
Niryukti, gā. 89-90; Višeşāvasya kabhāşya gā. 1091-92: 25. Katapancanamokkārassa denti samãiyam vidhiņā | Viseşāvaśyaka, gā. 5. 26. Auto-commentary on Višeşāvaśyakabhāşya, gā. 10. 27. Ibid, gã. 11
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