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preachings in twelve Angas, the twelfth Anga being divided into fourteen Pūrvas. These Pūrvas have been accepted by the "Svetāmbaras and the Digambams as probably the oldest Sacred Works of the Jaina canon. The tradition of the Svetāmbaras about the fourteen Pūrvas is this :-The fourteen Pūrvas had been incorporated in the twelth Anga (the Dristivada ) which was lost before 1000 A.V. But a detailed table of its contents and consequently of the Pūrvas has survived in the fourth Anga, the Samavāyānga, and in the Nandi Sūtra.
We are told by the tradition that Ārya Jambū Swāmê was the last Kevalî. After him, the under-mentioned six Heads of the Church, viz. Prabhava Swāmi, S'ayyambhava Sūri, Yas'obhadra Sūri, s'ambhūti-vijaya Sūri, Bhadrabāhu Swami and Sthūlabhadra were S'ruta-Kevalês. Out of these, Bhadrabāhu Swāmî was the last Pattadhara (Head of the Church ) who had all the twelve Angas along with the fourteen Purvas, along with their meanings and explanations of intricate subjects in his memory. Arya Sthūlabhadra had a thorough knowledge of the meanings and explanations of the ten Pūrvas, and a knowledge of the remaining four Pūrvas (11, 12, 13, 14 ) but not their meanings and explanations. Besides, he was instructed not to impart the knowledge of the four Purvas (11, , 13, 14) to anyone. Thus, the knowledge of the Pūrvas decreased gradually.
After him, there was a line of ten successors who had a thorough knowledge of ten Pūrvas. They were known as Das'apūrvis. The last Das'apūrvê was Vajra Swamî, after whom the knowledge of Purvas went on vanishing. The last who had a knowledge of one Pūrva was Devarddhi Gani kşamās'ramana.
2. Vide Weber, Indische Studien, XVI p. 341.
