________________
xii
ny scriptural texts अभयदेव has confessed how the difficulties of the textual interpretation were bewildering due to the obscurity of the text and the promiscuity of readings: eg अंत वृत्ति [ P. 106] अनंतरसपर्यये जिनवरोदिते शासने, यकेह समयानुगा गमनिका किल प्रोच्यते । गमांतरमुपैति सा तदपि सद्भिरस्यां कृतावरूढगमशोधनं ननु विधीयतां सर्वतः ॥ ( colophon ); अणु० वृत्ति० [P. 113.] colophon: शब्दा: केचन मार्थतोऽत्र विदिताः केचित्तु पर्यायतः, सूत्रार्थानुगतेः समुह्य भणतो यज्जातमागः पदम् । वृत्तावत्र तकत् जिनेश्वरवचोभाषाविधौ कोविदैः, संशोध्यं विहितादरैजिनमतोपेक्षा यतो न क्षमा ॥ So also in the colophon of नाया० किमपि स्फुटीकृतमिह स्फुटेऽप्यर्थतः सकष्टमतिदेशतो विविधवाचनातोऽपि यत् ॥ etc.; प्रश्नव्या० colophon; अज्ञा वयं शास्त्रमिदं गभीरं, प्रायोऽस्य कूटानि च पुस्तकानि । etc. Thus though at leads us much into the understanding of the text proper, he is still a seeker for the right text and the right interpretation both of which were not easy even in his days.
Even in the days of अभयदेव, certain misreadings had already taken an established place as right readings eg. अरहा, अरिहा, अरुहा ( See. Notes अंतo P. 100) which अभयदेव has tried to explain in the Com. of भगवती. तेणं कालेणं and तेणं समरणं (See Notes. P. 97 ) both have been explai - ned to be correct by अभयदेव in भगवती. One who studies the commentaries on the scriptures comes