History of Canonical Literature of Jainas

Author(s): Hiralal R Kapadia
Publisher: Shardaben Chimanbhai Educational Research Centre

Page 104

THE EXTINCT ĀGAMAS OF THE JAINAS
87
Nimitta is defined in Visesão (v. 2163) as under :"लक्खिज्जई सुभासुभमणेण तो लक्खणं निमित्तं ति । भोमाइ तदविहं तिकालविसयं जिणाभिहियं ॥"
That nimittajñāna is looked upon as valid can be seen from the following verse occurring in Sūyagaļa (I, 12, 9) :
"संवच्छरं सुविणं लक्खणं च निमित्तदेहं च उप्पाइयं च । अटुंगमेयं बहवे अहित्ता लोगंसि जाणंति T RIS II"
Nimitta may be either eight-fold or six-fold. The former is referred to in the following gātha :
"भोम सुमिणंतलिक्खं दिव्वं अंगं सरलक्खणं तह य । वंजणमट्ठविहं खलु निमित्तमेव मुणेयव्वं ॥"
When nimitta refers to happiness, misery, profit, loss, life and death, it is looked upon as six-fold. It seems that Gosāla knew this six-fold nimitta; for, in. Viāhapannatti (xv; s. 539) it is said that he knew six types of nimitta. In Sīlānka Sūri's com. (p. 218") on Sūyagada we come across the following passage :
"अत्र चाङ्गवर्जितानां निमित्तशास्त्राणामनुष्टुभेन छन्दसा अर्धत्रयोदश शतानि सूत्रं तावन्त्येव सहस्राणि वृत्तिः तावत्प्रमाणलक्षा परिभाषेति ।"
This means that the text of nimittaśāstras, Angas apart, comes to 1250 ślokas, its vrtti to 12500 and its paribhāsā to 12 lacs and a half. It remains to be ascertained as to which this text is. Is it Nimittapāhuda or some other work probably based upon it ?
There is a work known as Praśnavyākarana on which the late Mr. C. D. Dalal has noted 3 commentaries viz. Cūdāmaņi, Jyoti and anonymous. He has suggested that Jayaprābhrta is another name of Praśnavyākarana, but Muni Kalyānavijaya expresses his doubt about it. Vide Jainayuga (1, 3, p. 93).
Pahudas 9 to 13 - We have practically no details available about these Pāhudas except what I have practically already noted. About Saddapāhuda I may add that Hemacandra Sūri while commenting upon a grammatical portion (p. 1506) occurring in Anuogaddāra (s. 130) expresses his inability to explain some part of it as Sabdaprābhrta is lost (vide Chap. VII).
Jinamandana Gani, in his Kumārapālaprabandha (pp. 98b-99a) has said that 21 names of Satruñjaya are noted in Vidyāprābhrta.
In the svopajña vrtti (p. 56") of Śrāddhavidhi we have :"प्रतिष्ठाप्राभृतात् श्रीपादलिप्तोद्धृतप्रतिष्ठापद्धतौ च यथाभणितम्"
From this it follows that Padalipta's Pratisthāpaddhati is based upon