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NandiSootra
The elaborations in Bhagavati Sutra are in question-answer style. Majority of dialogues are between Bhagavan Mahavir and Ganadhar Gautam, however, there are many other dialogues between the other gandhars, shravaks, shravikas, ascetics, parivrajaks, sanyasis, gods, Indras, etc.
Among the extant sutras, Bhagavati. Sutra is the most voluminous. It includes a variety of subjects and is difficult to understand. It contains references of and excerpts from numerous scriptures including Pannavana, Jivabhigam, Aupapatik, Rajprashniya, Avashyak, Nandi, and Jambudveepprajnapti. This indicates that it is a compilation of a comparatively later period.
Besides discussions on philosophy, history, metaphysics, discipline and conduct, it also contains a variety of other subjects that are generally found abstract and difficult to understand.
6. JNAATADHARMAKATHA SUTRA [144] MEANING-Question - What is this Jnatadharmakatha Sutra?
Answer - In Jnatadharmakatha Sutra topics like cities, gardens, chaityas, forests, samavasarans, kings, parents, religious leaders, religious tales, special powers acquired during this birth and others, renouncing mundane indulgences, initiation, modes or variations, study of shrut, observation of austerities, ultimate vow, bhakt pratyakhyan, paadopagaman, reincarnation as god, rebirth in a good clan, regaining of enlightenment, and last rites, etc. have been discussed.
In Dharmakathang there are 10 vargs having one story and five hundred akhyayikas (side stories) each. Each of these akhyayikas have five hundred subakhyayikas and each of thesesub-akhyayikas have five hundred akhyayika-subakhyayikas. This way, adding up all these the total number of stories in this work is said to be 3.5 crore (35 million).
Jnatadharmakatha Sutra has limited vachana (readings, lessons, compilations, editions). ; It has countable Anuyogadwar, countable verses, countable couplets, countable niryukti (parsing), countable sangrahanis, and countable pratipattis.
This Jnatadharmakatha Sutra is sixth among the Angas. It has two shrutskandha (parts), 19 chapters, 19 uddeshan kaal and 19 samuddeshan kaal. Measured in pad (sentence units) it has countable thousand pads. It has countable alphabets, infinite gam (meanings and infinite paryaya (variations). It has descriptions of limited number of mobile beings, and infinite immobile beings. Established with the help of shashvat (eternal or fundamental), krit (created or experimented) and natural evidences, the tenets of the Jina have been stated (akhyayita), propagated (prajnapit), detailed (prarupit), explained (with the help of metaphors) (darshit), clarified (with the help of examples) (nidarshit), and simplified (with the help of discourse style) (upadarshit).
It has been presented in such charan-karan style that if a person is engrossed in its studies, he becomes a scholar and an expert of the subject.
This concludes the description of Jnatadharmakatha Sutra.
COMMENTARY -The simple meaning of Jnatadharmakatha is - to present with the help of examples that which is known or that which has been given by the knower for the specific purpose of propagation of religion. This includes history, incidents, examples and other narrative styles. Therefore this can also be defined as - that which includes history, examples, religious stories, and incidents, and the Aagam- 44 -NandiSootra
~ 133 Compiled by- Deepratnasagar
