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NandiSootra
aprashnas (which give indications about good or bad even without asking at question); and 108 prashnaprashnas (which give indications about good or bad on asking as well as not asking a question). For example angushta prashna (the thumb question), adarsh prashna (the ideal question), etc. It also contains details about other strange miraculous capacities. The divine dialogue of naafi kumars and suparna kumars with ascetics has been included as well.
Prashnavyakaran 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 Prashnavyakaran Sutra is tenth among the Angas. It has one shrutskandha (part), 45 chapters, 45 uddeshan kaal and 45 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 shashvat (eternal or fundamental), knit (created or experimented) and natural evidences, the tenets of the Jina have been stated (akhyayit), 1 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 Prashnavyakaran Sutra.
COMMENTARY -Prashnqvyakaran means questions and answers. In this sutra various things have been discussed in the question-answer style. This Agam sutra is mainly about the mantras and miraculous capacities connected with various gods. When these mantras and special capacities are perfected by following proper procedure, information regarding good or bad are acquired. In this work there are 108 such prashnas which when asked yield this information; 108 which yield this information even without asking; and 108 which yield this information on asking as well as not asking.
Besides these, it also contains details about many strange questions, other strange miraculous capacities and the divine dialogue of naafi kumars and suparna kumars with ascetics.
The names of the chapters of Prashnavyakaran Sutra, listed in Sthanang Sutra vary from those given in Nandi Sutra. At present two shrutskandhas of Prashnavyakaran Sutra are available. In the first there is a unique discussion about violence, falsity, stealing, lust, and crave for possessions and in the second there is a similar discussion about ahimsa, truth, non-stealing, continence, and nonpossession.
It appears that from this special work on the subject of mantras and miraculous powers, the portions dealing with the miraculous capacities have become extinct. All that is not available now
11. VIPAK SHRUT
[149] MEANING-Question - What is this Vipak Shrut?
Answer-In Vipak Shrut are detailed vipaks (the consequences) of the karmas acquired through good and bad deeds. In this there are ten duhkha vipaks and ten sukha vipaks.
Aagam- 44 -NandiSootra
Compiled by- Deepratnasagar
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