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fourteen Purvas which also only Bhadrabahu knew.16 He seems to have retired at the time of this council to Nepal to undertake the Mahapraṇavrata. Sthulabhadra then went to him to learn Purvas He learned ten Purvas properly but of the last four he learnt only the text and not the interpretation. 17 He is regarded the last who knew anything about 14 Purvas. Then we come to Vajra, the thirteenth pontiff (Vira 496-584-A. C. 29-A. C. 117) who is reported to know 10 Pūrvas, 18 Vajra, as the tradition goes learnt the Diṭṭhivaya from Bhadragupta, at Ujjain. Of course, it becomes clear from this tradition that the study of दिट्ठिवाय was most rare and that the Anga itself must be very difficult to understand. In the times of pontiff Skandila (301-314 A. C. pontiffship) there came a famine of 12 years and the scriptures again suffered a great deal. At that time, he called a council at Mathura and
16. See हेमचन्द्र । परिशिष्टपर्व । सर्ग ९ । श्लो. ५७-५८ । See.Charpentier.uttar. Intro. P. 14; also foot note. 3 on the same page. See वीरनिर्वाण संवत्by कल्याणविजय P. 94ff.
17. See. पट्टावली of खरतरगच्छः दशपूर्वाणि वस्तुद्वयेन न्यूनानि सूत्रतोऽर्थतश्च पपाठ, अन्त्यानि चत्वारि पूर्वाणि सूत्रत एवाधीतवान्नार्थतः इति वृद्धप्रवादः ।
18. See. पट्टावली of खरतरगच्छः - वज्रस्वामितो दशमपूर्व चतुर्थ- संहननादिव्युच्छेदः ।
