Canonical Literature Of Jainas

Author(s): H R Kapadia
Publisher: Hindi Granth Karyalay

Page 16

GENESIS OF THE JAINA SCRIPURES
Jainism enunciates a rule that on the attainment of omniscience, a Tirthaikara delivers a sermon,' and generally some persons do come forward to follow the noblest and highest path chalked out by him - technically speaking to take the Jaina dākṣī and thus to form a class of the Jaina clergy? Out of them, those who are going to be the greatest apostles, technically known as Ganadharas compose dvādaśāigis, each of which forms a nucleus of the Jaina scriptures.
Lord Mahāvira had eleven Ganadharas lodrabbūti and others; and each of them composed a dvādaśaigi. To enter into details, Indrabhūti after he had taken däksă, bowed to Lord Mabāvīra and asked: "f a " ( what is the essence underlying the animate and inanimate objects )? The Lord replied: "càs ai" (everything has a creation). Thereupon, once more, Indrabhūti asked the same question; for, he could not believe that there was nothing else but creation, when, with his own eyes he could see destruction and permanence as well. The Lord replied: "fanas ar” (everything perishes). This again led him to put the same question once more. This time the Lord replied: "az ar? (everything is permanent). This final answer solved his doubts, and he could catch the real spirit of Jainism. For, all this while the answers had set him
1 Kalikālasarvajña Hemacandra Sūri observes in his Trişaşțisalākāpuruşacaritra
(parvan X, sarga 5):--
"न सर्वविरतेरहः कोऽप्यत्रेति विदन्नपि। कल्प इत्यकरोत् तत्र निषण्णो देशनां विभुः ।।१०॥" 2 By clergy, I here mean both monks and nuns. These together with the Jaina
laity comprising Śrāvakas and Srāvikās form the fourfold church known as
caturvidha sangha to whom even the Tirthaikara pays due respect. 3 Bhadrabāhusvāmin says in his Āvassayaniijutti:
" पढमित्थ इंदभूई बिइओ उण होइ अग्गिभूइ त्ति । तइए य वाउभूई तओ वियत्ते सुहम्मे य । ५९३ ।। मंडिय मोरियपुत्ते अपिए चेव अयलभाया य।
मेयजे य पभासे गणहरा होंति वीररस ॥५९४॥" 4 In this connection I may quote the following lines from Haribhadra Sūri's coor
mentary (p. 277a) on Avassaya and its Niijutti (v.735):"तत्र गौतमस्वामिना निषधात्रयेण चतुर्दश पूर्वाणि गृहीतानि। प्रणिपत्य पृच्छा निषद्योच्यते। भगवांश्चाचष्टे-'उप्पण्णेइ वा विगमेइ वा धुवेइ वा'। एता एव तिस्रो निषद्याः, आसामेव सकाशाद् गणभृताम् 'उत्पादन्ययध्रौव्ययुक्तं सत्' इति प्रतीतिरुपजायते, अन्यथा सत्ताऽयोगात् । ततश्च ते पर्वभवः If Hit will Haufen ”.