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DABAVEĀLIYA BUTTA
to the several books of the canon in the two or three councils that were held much later after their composition, the last of such councils Being held at Valabhīpura in Kathiawar under the presidentship of Devardhigaại 980 years after Mahāvīra.
18. The style of the book, the presence of archaie forms, the quotation in ( Chapter II ) from the Uttarādhyayana, the authorship of the book ascribed by tradition to Mahāvīra, as also the presence of Niryukti (gloss ) on the Sūtra by Bhadrabāhu who flourished at the time of Chandragupta Maurya, clearly show that the book was composed about 75 or 80 years after Mahāvira. The mention of several technical terms (Cf. Ch. III St. 11 ) without any line of explanation, the concise and yet exhaustive mention of several items in the different topics (vide 373 UEHIS VIII. 13; A 373 VI. 7), the reference to Mahāvīra at the beginning of the fourth chapter and lastly the considsrations of metre go to corroborate the same date. The two Chūlikās or Appendix chapters were, of course, added at a later date by other writers like Simandhara as Haribhadrasūri has rightly observed it.
19. The book is written in a style not much different from that of the Sūtras. The tone of the book right on from the beginning to the end is elevated and dignified. The expression is short, sweet, emphatic and forceful. The words are in general such as commonly occur and are easy to understand. Archaism, however, is the striking peculiarity of the style; many forms such as fawi, u and the like-in the Nom. sing. are freely used as in the Ācārānga and the Sūtrakstānga Sūtras;
many forms such as वयसा, कायसा, जोगसा etc. are seen which are very peculiar and which cannot be justified by the corresponding forms in Sanskrit. There are on the other hand seen several forms which are directly derived from the Sanskrit forms. Instances of omissions of case affixes
