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Nandi Sootra
This work is confined to only those shravaks of Bhagavan Mahavir who had uncanny similarities both in terms of their lives as well as spiritual practices. They all were enormously wealthy and much liked by the kings as well as masses. They all had large tracts of land that could be tilled only with the help of five hundred ploughs. The only cattle or animals they owned belonged to the bovine family. All these ten individuals were impressed by the first discourse of Bhagavan Mahavir and became shravaks with 12 vows. Fifteen years after this, they retired from household responsibilities and commenced their spiritual practices in paushadhashala, (a dwellingspecially used during partial ascetic vows in comparative isolation). A few months later they accepted the 11 pratimas (stages of renunciation meant for a shravak) and continued higher spiritual practices. They all passed away after an ultimate vow of one month duration and reincarnated in the first dimension of gods. After completing a life-span of 4 palyopams they all will reincarnate in Mahavideh area and get liberated.
8. ANTAKRIDDASHANG SUTRA [146] MEANING-Question - What is this Antakriddashang Sutra? Answer-In Antakriddashang 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, and last rites, etc. related to the antakrits (those who have destroyed the seed-like karmas that are the cause of rebirths) have been discussed.
Antakruddashang 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 Antakriddashang Sutra is eighth among the Angas. It has one shrutskandha (part), 8 Vargas (sections), 8 uddeshan kaal, 8 samuddeshan kaal. Measured in pad (sentence units) it has countable thousand pads. It has countable alphabets, infinite gum (meanings) and infinite paryaya (variations). It has descriptions of limited number of mobile beings, and infinite immobile beings. Established with the help of shashuat (eternalor fundamental), kilt (created or experimented) and natural evidences, the tenets of the Jina have been stated (akhyayit), 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 Antakriddashang Sutra.
COMMENTARY As the name indicates, Antakriddashang Sutra; has compilation of the stories of life of those great souls who indulged; in harsh practices of discipline and austerities and, by the last! Moments of their life, destroyed all the karmas to get liberated! Immediately after acquiring Kewal-jnana. Such souls reach the; fourteenth Gunasthan during the same life and at once attain; nirvana. They do not give any discourse that is why they are also! Called antakrit Kewali.
The first five Vargas of this work are devoted to the antakrit! Kewalts belonging to the period of influence of Bhagavan! Arishtanemi. The last three Vargas Aagam-44 - Nandi Sootra
- 135 Compiled by- Deepratnasagar
