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ANTIQUITY OF JAIN MANTRAS AVASYAKASUTRA
to two of the Six Chedasūtras viz: Vyavhāra Sūtra and Bṛhat-Kalpa, their respective Bhāṣyas and commentaries.
AVASYAKASUTRA
Avasyaka-Niryukti v. 927 mentions eleven kinds of Siddhas including Vidyasiddha, Mantrasiddha and Yogasiddha; and the following verses give their illustrations (See Cürni p. 539 ff. & Bṛhattīkā p. 408 ff.). Niryukti v. 931 defines and distinguishes between Vidya and Mantra as mentioned in the note on p. 147 ante. Niryukti v. 932 says that the universal monarch of Vidyas is he who is accomplished in Vidyās or at least one Mahavidya like Mahāpuruṣadattā as was Aryakhapuṭācārya. The commentary thereon says that Vidyas are accomplished even by obeisance to a Vidyasiddha. Niryukti v. 933 says that he is accomplished in Mantras who has mastered all Mantras or many Mantras or even a single principal Mantra as was the Sadhu who through Mantra pulled out and drew away through the air the columns from the front of a palace-gate. Niryukti v. 934 says that he is a Yogasiddha who is fully acquainted with all the mixtures of magical powders of miraculous effect or even one of them as was Arya Samita. (See note p. 191 ante). At p. 452 there is an interesting account of Sadhana with a dead body and the miraculous effect of Pañcaparameşți Mantra which protected the boy nieant to be sacrified to the Vetāla by an ascetic who was seeking Siddhi as to Suvarna Puruşa i. e.goldman. At p. 407 obeisance to Arihanta is said to be the meaning of twelve Angas, as all the Angas are meant for purification of thought which is achieved by such obeisance also. Bṛhat-tīkā p. 392 mentions Parasu Vidya acquired by Parasurama and p. 401 describes 'Candālas' who were Vidyasiddhas. Bṛhat-tikā p. 812 mentions a compromise effected between a person who had recently embraced Jainism and one of the deities previously worshipped by him, where by the layman agreed to worship the deity on account of insistance by the latter if the deity agreed to remain by the side of the images of Jinas. This shows that as long as a person worships Tirthankara as the only divinity who
