History of Canonical Literature of Jainas

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

Page 118

THE EXTINCT ĀGAMAS OF THE JAINAS
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etymology. I may add that in certain cases it may be that even if the entire Jaina literature existing at present is fully investigated, it may not mend matters. Anyhow such an attempt is desirable as it can give us a final understanding about the nature of the extinct Agamas.
In the end, before I conclude this chapter, I may tentatively suggest why these are lost. As already noted, certain ajjhayaņas are sātisaya, and hence they were reserved to be studied by the selected few only-the few who were not going to misuse them. As the number of these persons slowly and slowly became less and less owing to the vicious period we are passing through, according to the Jaina tradition, it naturally brought about the extinction of the ajjhayanas in question. As regards the rest, it appears that they must have fallen into oblivion owing to the lack of interest on the part of those who had to study them.
This finishes the exposition about the extinct Āgamas whose number will go on increasing so much so that only four of them will exist up to the end of the present tirtha, and thereafter they, too, will perish, and thus there will remain no Āgamas whatsoever, till a new epoch will dawn with the flourishing of Tirtharkaras in India when the dvādasāngis etc. will be again composed. So says the Jaina tradition.
1. For instance, Mahāparinnā (p. 78), Arunovavāya (p. 82), Utthānasuya (p. 101)
and Samutthānasuya (p. 101) are some of them. 2. Out of them, Dasaveyāliya will be available only in meaning. 3. "arm HEKT. 2 Tasting s 'agi harfrestrent que falfa 114 11"
"इगवीससहस्साई वासाणं वीरगोक्खगमणाओ । अव्वोच्छिन्नं होही आवस्सगं जाव तित्थं तु ॥५२॥" "इगवीससहस्साई वासाणं वीरमोक्खगमणाओ । अणुओगदार-नंदी अव्वोच्छिनाउ जा तित्थं ॥५३॥" ---Titthogāli as suggested in Vividhapraśnottara (p. 188)