Agam 31 Chulika 01 Nandi Sutra Sthanakvasi

Author(s): Devvachak, Amarmuni, Tarunmuni, Shreechand Surana, Trilok Sharma
Publisher: Padma Prakashan

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started after the death of Arya Vajra; the knowledge of the ten Purvas was extant up to Arya Vajra. After him it gradually diminished. The changing times brought about a continuing decline in the general intelligence and capacity to remember. The shramans of that period put themselves to the task of finding all possible ways and means of saving the scriptural knowledge.
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Arya Rakshit-He was born in the house of Brahman Somdev, an inhabitant of Dashpur (modern Mandsor) in the state of Malwa in the year 522 A.N.M. (53 V., 4 B.C.). His mother was Jain; that is why when he completed his conventional Vedic education, she inspired him to acquire the knowledge of Jain scriptures. The Brahman youth Rakshit went to Acharya Toshaliputra and begged him for scriptural knowledge. When Toshaliputra told him that unless he gets initiated into the order he could not be given scriptural knowledge, strong willed Rakshit at once got initiated and left the town with the Acharya. By acquiring the knowledge of all the eleven Angas in short time Arya Rakshit thoroughly impressed Toshaliputra, who then sent him to Vajra Swami to acquire the knowledge of ten Purvas. Even Arya Rakshit, a highly talented individual of that age, could only absorb the complete knowledge contained in nine Purvas and just a part of the tenth. After this he returned to Toshaliputra. In the year 544 A.N.M. Toshaliputra made him Acharya and honoured him with the status of Yuga-pradhan.
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Arya Rakshit became aware of the ongoing process of decline of intellect and capability with the passage of time. He accomplished the task of classifying the scriptural knowledge into four divisions in order to simplify the method of study and revolutionized the process 5 of scriptural learning. Before this classification Agams were taught one at a time and the aphorisms, fundamentals, codes of conduct, examples, areas of practices, rules etc. pertaining to that Agam were taught at the same time. Arya Rakshit classified the complete contents of all Agams into four Anuyogs subjectwise. These classifications are Charan-karananuyog (conduct or activity), Dharmakathanuyog (narrative subjects like stories, examples, biographies etc.), Ganitanuyog (mathematics) and Dravyanuyog (fundamentals and substances or metaphysics). This classification immensely helped the later scholars and commentators. The process
श्री नन्दी सूत्र
Shri Nandisutra
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