Chaupannamahapurischariyam

Author(s): Shilankacharya, Amrutlal Bhojak, Dalsukh Malvania, Vasudev S Agarwal
Publisher: Prakrit Text Society Ahmedabad

Page 35

20 ) SC AS A SOURCE FOR THE STUDY OF THE UH
(9 18 Niryukti
HTT (II) HTr (1) Mahavira's prebirth as a grāmacintaka (+ as a god in Saudharma)
143 f. (+ Bhă 1 f.) X 1,3-24 Kulakaras, Rşabha's prebirths, life of Rsabha and Bharata 145-4396 middle
Parvan I (+ Bhā 3-45 ) +Rebirth as Marici
145 f,
X 1,25-27 + Marici's dikså
344-347
X 1,28 f.
I 3,652 + Marici's heresy 350-361 (+Bhā 36b +37) X 1,30-47a
I 6,1-292 + Marici's future incarnations prophesied; his arrogance 422-432 (+ Bhā 44) X 1,49-59
I 6,370-390 + Marici's illness, initiation of Kapila, Marici's death
437-439b middle
X 1,60-71a I 6,29b-52 Further incarnations of Mahāvira (including Viśvabhūti and Triprstha) 439b middle-450b middle X 1,71b-284 see next line [Viśvabhūti and Triprstha alone [ 444-447]
[X 1,86-180 ] ( in IV 1] Mahāvira's life up to his renunciation 450b middle - 460
x 2
(+Bbā 45-110) chadmastha-vihāra (§ 11)
461-524 (+Bhā 111-115 ) X 3+ 4 kevalajñāna etc. (11)
525-659 (+Bhā 116-132) X 4,658cd+X 5 Those verses of the Niryukti which are printed in italics and which correspond to HTI I comprise also Marici's life-story. The portions which deal with Marici are mentioned separately and marked with a cross. Read Bhā' as Mülabhāşya' ( 10 ).
The list shows that the tenth parvan of HTr is a rather faithful representation of the relevant Avaśyaka-tradition. The Rşabha-Bharata-carita was of course extracted in order to occupy its independent place in the arrangement of the UH. The three previous existences of Mahāvira which play a part in the UH outside the Mahavira-carita itself are repeated in their appropriate places : Mahāvira's 3rd previous existence as Rşabha's grandson Marici in the Rşabha-Bharata-carita; his 16th previous existence as Visvabhūti ( = 1st previous existence of the Vasudeva Triprstha ) in the SreyāṁsaTriprstha-carita; bis 18th previous existence as the Vasudeva Triprştha in the Srejämsa-Triptsha-carita. The treatment of the 16th and 18th previous existence is more detailed in the Sreyāṁsa-Triprstha-carita than in the Mabāvira-carita. But the complete account of the 3rd previous existence appears in the Mahāvira-carita, not in the Rşabha-Bharata-carita ( HTr X 1,25-27 [ Marici's birth] and HTr X 1,28 [ Marici betaking himself to the samosarana without parallel in HTr I ).
The two Digambara-versions show the same arrangement as HTr. Only the relation of the first and second account of Mahāvira's 3rd, 16th and 18th previous existence is different. The two accounts of Marici do not overlap, and Guņabhadra (not Puspadanta ) gives the more detailed account of the 16th and 18th previous existence in the Mahavira-carita, not in the Triprştha-carita. See SC/M p. 128.
Silānka mentions only the previous existences 3-18 (Marici to Triprstha ). 3-17 and the first part of 18 form a continuous account which is recited by a monk and which appears within the Triprștbacarita. The first part of the Triprstha-carita ( events previous to the story of the monk and which were already described by the poet himself) and the Marici-story are therefore related twice (as in the other versions, the Marici-story already appeared in the Rşabha-Bharata-carita ). But the second account of Marici is very short, and the second account of the first part of the Triprştha-carita (also contained in the story of the monk ) is a mere summary which adds only a few particulars to the first