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INTRODUCTION
recited at the commencement of the reading of all sacred scriptures. It is considered to be the greatest Mantra and compared to the wishgranting gem-tree-pot-cow. It is said in Mahānisitha Sūtra, Adh. V that there were several Niryuktis Bhásyas Cūrnis i. e. commentaries on the Panca-Mangala-Mahāśrutaskandha. Pancaparamesti Mantra is said to have been extracted therefrom by Sri Vajra-swāmi and incorporated in Mūlasūtra.* It appears in the beginning of Avasyakasūtra (See the Cūrni Edn.).
Angavijjā mentioned above belongs to the Prakirņaka or Payanno class of the Jain sacred literature. This class of work is believed to be the composition of Sri Mahāvīra's pupils other than the chief ones called Gañadharas. We may however safely take this one to be not later than the first century of the Vikrama era that is the time when Sri Vajraswāmi, the last person who knew all the ten Pūrvas flourished. It belongs to the time when summaries from Pūrva literature were being prepared.
We find from Prabhāvakacaritra that Sri Viragani of the tenth century A. D. learnt Angavijjā from Sri Vimalagani and also acquired from him Ganivijā alias Sūrimantra.
NIRVANAKALIKA
There is another work which though not principally dealing with Mantras throws considerable light on the Mantras and Mantric deities
* It is considered incorporated in all the scriptures-see Viśeşåvaśyaka Bhāşya V. 9. See also ibid v. 5:
"कयपंचनमोक्कारस्स दिन्ति सामाइयाइयं विहिणा ।
आवसयमायायरिया कमेण तो सेसय सुर्यपि ॥ There are hymns, Mantrakalpas and Raksā-Mantra relating to Panca-ParameştiMantra. The importance of Pancaparamesti Mantra in Vidyās and Mantras is that it must be recited at the beginning of all Vidyās:
"सर्व विद्यास्मृतावादौ पूर्णा पंचनमस्कृतिः ।
यद्वा पंचनमस्कृतिः यद्वा पंचपदी वाच्या ॥ मुनिना प्रणवादिमा इत्यादि-सिंहतिलकसूरिकृतवर्धमानविद्याकल्पे लोक २२, पृ. २
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