Development And Impact Of Jainism In India And Abroad

Author(s): Gunvant Barvalia
Publisher: Arham Spiritual Center

Page 77

Development & Impact of Jainism in India & Abroad
another large scale project was achieved by Muni Diparatnasagara, a disciple of Anandasagarasur: the 30 volumes text of the 45 Agamas with commentaries. This fulfils another long-felt need: to have all the books in a handy form, even if the text is not critical and has to be counterchecked with other editions. A step further has been achieved recently, as 32 of these Agamas are now available online on the Jain elibrary, to be supplemented by the remaining ones in the next few months. This is one more sign of the Jains' wish to adapt to the conditions of a globalized world and to make the new technologies serve the diffusion of Mahavira's message. Yet, it is likely that the Agamas in these forms, on paper or online, will be perceived as 'scholarly' with the intimidating note that this word implies, probably meaning a rather limited audience. At the other extreme is the creative initiative going back to Anandasagarasuri to get the Agamas, based on his edition, engraved on the walls of temples - the so-called Agam Mandirs in Surat, Palitana or Sankheshwar: there the Agamas are not meant to be read or studied, especially because the plaques on which they are inscribed are often higher than ordinary human size, but meant for darshan in the way murtis are. It is their presence as sacred words that is meaningful in itself. The same holds true for Anandasagarasuri's monumental edition, the bulky and heavy volume of the Agamaratnamañju?a, enclosed in glass boxes in temples as an object of respect and worship.
Strong conviction that the contents of the Agamas is relevant in the 20th-21st century world and that it deserves to be made accessible for reading to a wide audience within India and among the growing Jain diaspora has led to initiatives meant to improve the understanding of the texts and present them in user-friendly ways. These initiatives all come from leading monastic figures who are themselves specialists of the Agamas as scholars. Procuring a translation is an obvious device towards such an aim. Among Sthanakvasins, Amolak Rishi Acharya's edition (1915-1919) was the first to include a Hindi translation, as Madhukar Muni's edition also did later. Other pedagogic devices were the result of thorough thinking on the formal aspects of a book as playing a role in attracting readership to the contents, and even in conveying the contents in a better way to new audiences. In the edition initiated by Madhukar Muni (Muni 'Kamal', Devendramuni & Muni Ratnamuni, 1979-1994), for instance, massive blocks of text are replaced by smaller textual units clearly divided and laid out so as to be more engaging for those not familiar with the contents but willing to discover it in good faith in sharp contrast with Puppha Bhikkhu's Suttagame for instance (Phulcand Muni, 1953-54). These techniques are also made use of in Amar Muni's Agamamala (1993 onward), which goes one step further: Hindi and English are used on an equal footing, in the tables of contents, the introductions, the translations, the glossaries of technical terms, etc. The use of English is explicitly justified in the prefaces by reference to the numerous Jains living outside India: globalization increases the risk of losing contact with the Indian languages, especially Prakrit which can be mastered only if studied on purpose as it is not practiced in daily life; diasporic communities need to have tools conform to their intellectual habits to stay in touch with the roots of their tradition - ultimately expressed in the Agamas.
The real innovation, however, which is a subject of pride for the editorial team of the Agamamala, is the introduction of a visual element in the form of about 20-25 multicoloured paintings per volume, so that the series is Sacitra. These paintings have hardly anything in common with the earlier tradition of Jain miniature painting. Use is made of a vocabulary and aesthetic codes which are
68