History of Canonical Literature of Jainas

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

Page 131

114
A HISTORY OF THE CANONICAL LITERATURE OF THE JAINAS
it, too, deals with polemics, which give us at least a glimpse of the various religious sects of the olden India. In the end we have disputations of Ard with Gośāla, a Bauddha, a Vaidika priest, a Vedāntin and a Hastitāpasa, and that of Udaka, a follower of Lord Pārsva with Gautama.
Thus the contents of this 2nd Anga supply a young monk with materials whereby he can fortify himself against the heretical doctrines of alien teachers and preachers, can confirm himself in the right faith and can lead himself to the summum bonum.
Metres - There seems to be no old source which discusses the metres of verses of Āyāra and Süyagada. As already observed on p. 118 this question has been however handled in modern days by the late Prof. Jacobi and by the late K. H. Dhruva. The latter observes in Evolution of Gujarati verse (p. 152) as under :
“સુત્તકાલના સાંપ્રત વ્યાખ્યાનમાં આધાર તરીકે સ્વીકારેલાં આયાર અને સૂયગડ અંગમાં ચાર જ છંદનો પ્રયોગ છે, અનુષ્ટ્રભુનો ત્રિષ્ટ્રભુનો વૈતાલીય (પ્રા વેલીય)નો અને ગાથાનુણુભી સંસૃષ્ટિનો. સૌમાં અધિક પ્રચાર અનુજુભૂનો છે.”
On p. 154 he quotes a verse from Sūyagada (I, 1, 4, 8) and names its metre as Sautta anustubh. Further, on this page he says that in Süyagada, Ārcika tristubh is used 46 times, Traistubhi upajāti 92 times and Indravajrā 25 times. As an illustration of Sautta tristubh he quotes on p. 156 Sūyagada (1, 14, 17), and for that of Vaitāliya, 1, 2, 2, 20 on p. 157. Here he says that in Süyagada there is not a single verse in Vrddhavaitāliya usually known as Aupacchandasika in prosody. On p. 158 is quoted I, 2, 1, 6 as an illustration of a verse of which the 1st foot is in Vrddhavaitālīya and the rest in Vaitālīya. The metre of which there is no name to be found in prosody and which is designated by K. H. Dhruva as Gathānustubhi samsrsti in virtue of its being a combination of Anustubh and Gathā, is used in both the uddesas of Thiparinna and in the ending portions of some other ajjhayanas as well. On p. 159, 3 verses are quoted from Sūyagada. They are : I, 4, 1, 4; I, 1, 3, 16; and I, 1, 8, 26. Out of these the 1st has its 1st and 3rd feet in Anustubh, the 2nd in Vrddhatara gāthika khanda (18 mātrās) and the 4th in Vrddha khanda (15 mātrās). As regards the remaining two verses, each has its 1st 3 feet in Anustubh whereas the 4th in Gathika khanda of 15 and 18 mātrās respectively. 1, 2, 3, 222 of Sūyagada is in Jāgatānustubhi saṁsrsti. 4
1. See Schools and Sects in Jaina Literature by Mr. Amulya Chandra Sen. 2. In the edition used by K. H. Dhruva, it seems that this is written as if it is in prose.
So he modifies it slightly on p. 162n and turns it into a verse. 456 See page 210 of addition.