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214
THE CANONICAL LITERATURE OF THE JAINAS
[CHAP
as disconnected members of a joint family. Commentators have tried their level best to show how a subsequent sutta is connected with the preceding one; but, even then this has failed to satisfy some of the modern critics. The nature of some of the sultas is such that the free translation is desirable, and Mr. G. J. Patel in his nivedana (p. 5) to Ayāra has already said so, while justifying as to why he has preferred chāyānuvāda to the literal translation. In doing so he has said that the method he has adopted is one approved of by Prof. A. B. Dhruva. In this very Ayiara we find that Prof. Schubring splits up sentences --suttas in a way that differs from one to be noticed in the Āgamodaya Samiti cdition. So it seems that the suttas are so composed that there is ample space for such differences of opinion. Perhaps this is true not only in the case of the Jaina suttas but also in the case of some of the Bauddha suttas and Vaiilika sūtras, too.
The word sutta is used in special senses in the Jaina canon, One of them is defined as under in Kappanijjutti mixed up with its Bhāsa:"अप्पागंथ महत्थं बत्तीसादोसविरहियं जं च। लक्खणजुत्तं सुत्तं अटहि य गुणेहि उववेयं ॥२७७॥"
From this it will be seen that brevity of expression is only one of the characteristics of a sutta, the others being absence of 32 defects and presence of 8 attributes. These 32 defects are treated in v. 278-281, and the s attributes in v. 282. Verse 3103 gives the various etymologies of the word sutta, and they, too, point out the special significance of this word. Verse 2854 defines a sutta spoken of by an omniscient being, and v. 315 mentions 3 varieties of sutta from two different stand-points. From one angle of
1 They can be grouped as has been done by Mr. G. J. Patel in his trans
lation of Anga V. 2 “આયા રંગસૂત્રને આ અનુવાદ સૂત્રકૃતાંગના અનુવાદની મારૂક છાયાનુવાદ જ છે. જૂનાં આગમન
બાબતમાં એ અનુવાદપદ્ધતિ જ વધુ ઉપયોગી છે, એમ આચાર્યશ્રી આનંદશંકરભાઈ જેવા
શાસ્ત્રજ્ઞ પંડિતોએ પણ કબૂલ કર્યું છે. 3 सुत्त तु सुत्तमेव उ अहवा सुत्तं तु तं भवे लेसो। अत्थस्म मृयणा वा सुवुत्तमिद वा भवे सुत्तं ॥३१॥" 4 "अप्पक्खरमसंदिद्धं सारवं विस्सजोमुहं । अत्थोभमणवजं च सुत्त सम्बन्नुभामियं ॥२८॥
