Canonical Literature Of Jainas

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

Page 26

GENESIS OF THE JAINA SCRIPTURES
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and that they are not the immediate compositions just coeval with the establishment of the tirtha by the Tirthaikara in question. This means that I should, first of all, define the phrase "Jaina scriptures" and then indicate the scriptures which are not included in the dradasangi.
To begin with, I may note the varions meanings of the word 'scripture' as given in The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Current English (p. 1072 of the new edition revised by H. W. Fowler). They are: “The Bible with or without the Apocrypha' (usually without article; also Holy scripture or the Ss.; a doctrine not found in S. or the Ss.); a or the quotation from the Bible; (attrib.) taken from or relating to the Bible (a s. text, lesson; cf. scriptural); sacred book of non-Christian community; (archaic) inscription."
From this it follows that leaving aside the archaic meaning of the word 'scripture' viz. 'inscription', it signifies a sacred book of any community, Christian or non-Christian. So one may naturally take the phrase 'Jaina scriptures' to mean sacred books of the Jainas. This view is correct, but I may add that the phrase can be interpreted in another way, too. In order that this may be easily realized, I shall give here two definitions, of sammasuya (Sk. samyak-śruta), and two of micchūsuya (Sk, mithya-śruta), as well. According to the 1st definition the dvālasangi and other scriptures based upon it-the works which are composed by the Jaina saints of a very high calibre are classed as sammasuya whereas the works composed by the non-Jainas who are wanting in right knowledge
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The meanings of Apocrypha are given in this Dictionary on p. 10. They are: "Books of old Testament included in Septuagint and Vulgate, but not originally written in Hebrew, nor counted genuine by Jews, and excluded from Canon at Reformation. In order that we can follow this, we may note the meanings of Septuagint and Vulgate. They are respectively as under:
"Greek version of O. T. including the apocrypha said to have been made about 270 B. C. by seventy translators."
"Latin version of the Bible prepared by Jerompte in the 4th c."