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A COMPREHENSIVE HISTORY OF JAINISM
has been identified with Sangara of Periplus. All these three types of boats are described as middle-sized (majjhimakāya) boats in the Angavijjā.
In the list of female deities 507 we have a number of foreign names, which are not found elsewhere in the Indian literature. They are: Apalā, Aņāditā, Airāņi, Sālimālini, etc. Apalā is the Greek goddess Pallas Athene, Anădită is the Avestan Anahita, Airāņi is the Roman goddess Irene, and Sälimālini is the Moon-goddess Selene. There are interesting references308 to women belonging to Lāța (Lādi), Yavana (Jonikā), Barbara (Babbari), Pulinda (Pulindi), Andhra (Andhi), Dravida (Babbri), etc. We have an exhaustive list of architectural terms309 in this text; the list of gotras are also equally exhaustive.310 There is also a section on sexual love. Among the male gods, 312 Vaiśravaņa is pictured as the god of merchants and rich people; Śiva was the lord of cows, buffaloes, and sheep. Senāpati Kārtikeya is associated with the cock and peacock, and Viśākha with sheep, ram, boy, and sword. Several other gods are mentioned and they are also known from other sources.
The Angaviijā is undoubtedly one of the most useful works of the early Christian period. Since it refers to Saka and Indo-Greek coins it appears that the work was written by AD 300, although it incorporates materials of a much earlier period. The language is frankly difficult, but it was undoubtedly composed in western India. The absence of any commentary creates great difficulty for modern scholars. The long lists of objects of daily use make it possible for us to understand some of the basic features of early Indian life.
Commentaries: The earliest among the canonical conumentaries are the niryuktis (nijjuti), which are written in the Aryā metre and are in a mixed Prāksta. They are ascribed to Bhadrabāhu, who should be distinguished from his namesake, the celebrated author of the Kalpasūtra. This is definitely established by the fact that in the Daśāśrutaskandhaniryukti there is a verse addressed to Srutakevalin Bhadrabāhu.313 Further, quite a number of other Jaina savants of a much later period are referred to in other niryukti works, which also show that these niryuktis could not have been composed before the Gupta period. There are however reasons to believe that some of the niryukti verses go back to an earlier period."14 The niryuktis on following Agamic texts are known: Āvasyaka, Daśavaikālika, Uttarādhyayana, Ācārānga, Sūtrakstānga, Daśāśrutaskandha, Brhatkalpa, Vyavahāra, Suryaprajñapti, and Rşibhāșita. Of these, the last two have
