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THE CANONICAL LITERATURE OF THE JAINAS
[ CHAP.
the time Sthulabhadra died, and a similar inference can be drawn for the Parikamma pertaining to the rest of the 10 Puvvas.
98
ma.
There is another alternative regarding the study of Parikam Just as even now-a-days some persons complete the study of the Samskṛta grammar before they enter the field of literature, so Parikamma being a stepping-stone to Puvvagaya, some may have been mastering it completely before they began to study even the 1st Puvra.
As regards the study of the Sutta, the Jaina literature-even the narrative branch of it, seems to be completely silent. So I may suggest that the case of the extent of the study of the Sutta - is parallel to that of Parikamma, and equally so is its loss.
So far as the Puvvas are concerned, it appears that their study must have been preceded by that of the pertinent portions or the entire ones of the Parikumma and the Sutta. The study of Anuoga may have been partly preceded and partly followed by that of the corresponding Puvva, in case it dealt with upakrama etc., as suggested on p. 9. As regards the branch of hagiology, its study may have been taken up after that of the corresponding portion of the Puvva or it may have preceded it, in case either the taught were inquisitive to know the lives of the persons referred to in the Puvva they were about to learn or the teacher wanted to create interest about the pertinent Puvva amongst his pupils. Whatever it may be, it is almost certain that the study of the Anuoga which may have been taken up in instalments corresponding to each Puvva or which may have been altogether reserved after that of the Puvva in question or to take an extreme case after that of all the Puvvas, was given up as soon as the study of the Fuvvas came to an end. If so, it may be said that the loss of the last 4 Puvvas was followed by the cessa. tion of the study of the corresponding Anuoga or as an extreme 1 The Sutta seems to be an index to the aphorisms of Puvvagaya and their meanings. If so, it is more or less a tabulated summary-an analytical digest of the contents of Puvvagaya in extenso, and thus it may be compared with the Matikās of the Bauddhas, and it may be looked upon as forming a background for the study of the Puvvas.