History of Canonical Literature of Jainas

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

Page 134

THE EXTANT AGAMAS OF THE JAINAS
VIAHAPANNATTI'
This is the 5th Anga having 5 titles as noted on pp. 48-49. It is divided into 41 sections known as saäs, almost all of which have subdivisions styled as uddesas, and these, too, are further divided into suttas. Abhayadeva Sūri observes in his com. (p. 8) on this work that it has 10,000 uddes'akas, 36,000 praśnas and 2,88,000 padas. But, in Samavāya (s. 140) and Nandi (s. 49) the numbers for the padas are given as 84,000 and 1,44,000 respectively.
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As regards the subject-matter, various topics are discussed in this work. But, since there seems to be no inter-connection between the uddesas of one and the same saä, much less between those of the different saäs, we
1. Ten different meanings of this title are noted by Abhayadeva Sūri in his com. (pp. 23) on this work. Therein he has suggested the following Samskrta equivalents of this title :
(1) व्याख्याप्रज्ञप्ति (2) व्याख्याप्रज्ञात्ति, (3) विवाहप्रज्ञप्ति (4) विवाहप्रज्ञाप्ति (5) विबाधप्रज्ञप्ति, (6) विबाधप्रज्ञाप्ति. 2. This word is used in the beginning of the 2nd Saã. In Samavaya (s. 81) we have "विवाहपत्रत्तीए एकासीति महाजुम्मसया पत्रता": Abhayadeva Suri, while commenting upon this says on pp. 88 and 89": -
"व्याख्याप्रज्ञप्त्यामेकाशीतिर्महायुग्मशतानि प्रज्ञसानि इह च शतशब्देनाध्यननान्युच्यन्ते तानि कृतयुग्मादिलक्षणराशिविशेषविचाररूपाणि अत्रान्तराध्ययनस्वभावानि तदवगमावगम्यानीति ।"
3. Saǎs 1 to 8, 12, 13, 14, 18, 19 and 20 have each 10 uddesas, the 9th and the 10th have each 34, the 11th 12, 15th none, 16th 14 and 17th 17. Saäs 21 to 41 have the number of their uddesas as under :
80 (8 vaggas), 60 (6 vaggas), 50 (5 vagga), 24, 12, 11 (thanas), 11, 11, 11, 11, 28, 28, 124, 124, 132, 132, 132, 132, 132, 231 and 196. The saäs 33 and 34 have each 12 avantarasaäs, and saäs 35 to 40 have each 12 mahājummasaäs.
The significant titles of almost all these uddesas are mentioned in verse, mostly in the beginning of each of the saäs, and the corresponding verse is styled as sangrahanigäthä (vide the beginning of the com. of the 6th saä).
4. Most of these praśnas are asked by Indrabhūti Gautama to Lord Mahavira; for, only at times we find that his other pupils Agnibhüti, Väyubhūti, Manditaputra, Makandiputra and Roha, Jayanti, a Śrävikā, and some non-Jainas ask him a question. In the answers given to these questions by Lord Mahāvīra we come across a queer case (XVIII, 3; s. 619) where Gautam is addressed instead of Mäkandiutra, though the answer is in connection with the question asked by the latter. This is due to an answer being here reproduced from Pannavana (XV, 1) Vide its com. (p. 742")
4. "व्याख्यायन्ते जीवादिगतयो यत्र नयद्वारेण प्ररूपणाः क्रियन्ते सा व्याख्याप्रज्ञप्तिः ।"
-Siddhasena Gani's com. (p. 82) Tattvärtha (1, 20).