Canonical Literature Of Jainas

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

Page 90

IV]
THE EXTINCT ĀGAMAS OF THE JAINAS
the text was already lost and its contents were no longer known'. Now when the real contents of the Dystivāda had been forgotten, this text became a convenient place where everything could be located which it was thought. desirable to invest with canonical authority. And since a continuous and systematical account of the Jaina mythology and hagiology, the “History of the 632 Great Men”, was not found in the existing canon, it was attributed to the last part of the Drşțivāda. The Vasudevahindi, too, solemnly professes to be derived from the prathamānuyoga portion of the Dystivāda, but it need hardly he pointed out that the Jain version of the Byhatkathā is not likely to have formed part of one the oldest works of the Jain canon."
In my humble opinion, Ditthivāya got lost as its major portion Puvvagaya was extremely difficult to be remembered and studied in view of its gamasi and bhangas, the latter requiring a great deal of the mathematical ability to grasp them. In short, this 12th Anga was a hard nut to crack.
With this digression, if it can be so called, I shall once more take up the thread of the Svetāmbara, trend of thought and notice what it has to say regarding the loss of works other than Ditthivāya already referred to. Turning to Ayāra we find that out of the nine ajjhayanaswhich form its first suyakkha.
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It is not a rule that on a work being lost, its contents get forgotten. It appears that originally we had 54 uttama-puruşas as is borne out by Samavāya (s. 54) and Silācārya's Caüpanna-mahāpurusacariya (composd in Samvat 933), and it is Hemacandra Sūri who was probably the 1st to have dealt with 63 salākāpurusas by adding 9 Prativasudevas to the list of 54 great men viz., 24 Tirthaikaras, 12 Cakravartins, 9 Baladevas and 9 Vasudevas. Cf. fati i TAS?
t. 318i ifosai gu"-Nandi (s. 44). In this connection, in Nandicunni (pp. 46-47) it is said: " HITTET a forfa faजुत्तं सुत्तं दुगादिसतग्गसो पढिज्जमाणं गमितं भण्णति, तं च एवंविहं उस्सण्णं दिदिवाए." See my intro. (p. xiii) to Ganitatilaka published along with Simhatilaka Sūri's com. in G, 0. Series as vol. LXXVIII. Cf. the following verses occurring in the Ayāraniijutti:
"सत्थपरिण्णा १ लोगविजओ २ य सीओसणिज ३ सम्मत्तं ४ । तह लोगसारनामं ५ धुयं ६ तह महापरिण्णा ७ य ॥३१ ।। अट्ठमए य विमोक्खो ८ उवहाणसुयं ९ च नवमगं भणिय । इच्चसो आयारो आयारग्गाणि सेसाणि ।। ३२ ॥"
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