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A CULTURAL STUDY OF THE NISITHA CURNI
separately mentioned as it must have been originally a part of the Acāranga Cūrni. As the Niśitha Sūtra was later separated from the rest of the Acara, its Cūrni also came to be regarded as an independent work?. It is however clear that Niśitha being the last Cala of the Ācāra, its commentary was written after the Åcārānga Cūrni was composed. Keeping in view Anandasāgara Sūri's statement it may be argued that the Cmnis of Nandi, Anuyoga, Āvašyaka, Daśavaikalika, Uttarādhyayana and Acāranga were already written when the Ni iha Cūrņi was composed. The Niśitha Cūrni is thus a product of the experienced and matured judgement of the author which was necessarily required for commenting upon such an abstruse text,
The author of the NC. has nomenclatured his work as Nisiha Visesa Crnnia. This is further augmented by the fact that the word Visesa (Višeşa) is mentioned at the conclusion of all the ud dešakas of the NC.3 Mention of the word visesa (višeşa) has led some scholars to believe that formerly there had been two Cūrnis on Nijitha. To differentiate the two this latter conimentary was termed as Viseșa Cūrni.' This conjecture seems quite valid as in the beginning of the NC. the author has also remarked, “Although expounded by earlier scholars I have dealt with it in particular." However, no traces of any other Cūrņi are to be found at present, and the Višeşa Cūini written by Jinadāsa Gani is the only available Garni on Niśītha. Jinadāsa Gani : the Author of the NC.
The versatile genius of Jinadāsa Gani, his profound knowledge of the religious as well as social values and his deep study of human nature may be easily visualized from the Nišitha Cūrni as well as his other works. Unfortunately, 1. See-Malvania, op. cit., p. 19. 2. Qor acer quot, faedah FAHREFF--NC. 4, p. 411. 3. Visesa Nisila Cunni in uddešakas 1-8, 10, 12-15, and Nisiha Visesa
Cunni in uddeiakas 9, 11 and 16. 4. Kapadia, cp. cit., p. 190; Kalyāṇavijaya, op. cit., p. 3; Mehta, op. cit.,
p. 289. 5. yaariftiam fu, e foi a 3a --NC. 1, p. I.
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