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SVETĀMBARA CANONICAL LITERATURE
207
Viśvavādika (Vissavāiya), it appears, is an otherwise unknown gana and not mentioned in the Theravali. It should, however, be remembered that these ganas could not have existed in the fifth century BC, as, according to the Theraval, they had originated only after Bhadrabahu.
Ten great cities are mentioned in this text65 Campā, Mathurā, Vārāṇasī, Śrāvastī, Sāketa, Hastinapura, Kāmpilya, Mithilā, Kauśāmbī, and Rājagṛha. Six of these cities, as we have already noticed, are mentioned in the Digha Nikaya in the list of six great cities. Regarding Hastinapura, however, we can say, that it disappeared from the map of northern India long before the sixth century BC. The Jaina canonical author has included the city in his list probably because of its past fame.
The fourth Anga text, the Samavāyānga, is like Sthānānga a descriptive work. There is a commentary on it by Abhayadeva, which was completed at the town of Aṇahilapāṭaka in vs 1120, corresponding to AD 1062. Almost all the authorities believe it to be one of latest of the canonical texts, for it not only mentions other Anga texts but also the Nandisutra. The subject-matter of the first twothirds of the work is arranged in numerical groups just as in the Sthānanga, but in this case the numbers do not stop at ten, but go up to a million. Under no. 18, eighteen scripts are enumerated and they include the Dāmilī and Polindi scripts.68 This list can be compared with the list in the Mahavastu and the more exhaustive list given in the Lalitavistara,70 both being Buddhist Sanskrit texts. The 72 arts are also mentioned by name." Reference to gods like Vijaya, Vaijayanta, Jayanta, and Aparajita remind us of the four gods Aparajita, Apratihata, Jayanta, and Vaijayanta mentioned in the Arthasästra72 of Kautilya.
The author of the Samavāyānga shows his thorough acquaintance with the devotional Vaiṣṇava literature. In sutra no. 158 there are some typical Vaiṣṇava expressions and the emblems of Baladeva and Kṛṣṇa are correctly described. The Samavāyānga not only betrays knowledge about Kṛṣṇa's life, but also a thorough acquaintance with the later myths that grew around Vasudeva-Kṛṣṇa.
The fifth Anga text, the Vyakhyāprajñapti or the Bhagavati," is undoubtedly the most important canonical work of the Śvetambara Jainas. Abhayadeva wrote a commentary on this work in the vs 1128, corresponding to AD 1070 at Anahilapāṭaka." This voluminous text extends to 41 satakas. Since I consider this work to be very impor
