History of Canonical Literature of Jainas

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

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A HISTORY OF THE CANONICAL LITERATURE OF THE JAINAS
many different readings. Some of them are noted and explained by Abhayadeva Sūri in his commentary on it.
UVĀSAGADASĀ This is the 7th Anga. It consists of 10 ajjhayanas noted on p. 105, fn. 2. Out of them the first enumerates, in minute details, the various observances undertaken by Ananda and his wife in the presence of Lord Mahāvīra. Ananda, on his leading a pious life as a lay adherent (uvāsaga") for 20 years, attains avadhijñāna.
The next 4 ajjhayanas furnish us with the lives of 4 other lay adherents who did not give up their vows, even though each of them was threatened by one god or another, with the loss of the life, relatives, health and property respectively.
The 6th deals with the life of Kundakoliya whose faith remains unshaken in Lord Mahāvīra's teachings, though they are denounced by a god while propounding the tenets of Gosāla to him.
The 7th supplies us with a story of Saddālaputta, formerly a devotee of Gosāla. Lord Mahāvīra convinces him by arguments that the doctrine of Gosāla is faulty. Thereupon he becomes a staunch convert, so much so that an attempt made by Gosāla himself to make him re-embrace his faith, fails.
The 8th illustrates as to how Revai (Sk. Revatī) harasses her husband Mahāsayaya by subjecting him to temptations to enjoy sensual objects. He however remains firm, and Revai suffers for rejecting Jainism.
The 9th and 10th ajjhayanas deal with the quiet and peaceful lives led by Nandinīpiya and salihīpiya, the two great devotees of Lord Mahāvīra, out of 10.
On the whole, this 7th Anga furnishes us with materials which give us a vivid picture of the social life of those days. Incidentally I may note
1. Out of them, those occurring in 3 Mss. deposited at B. O. R. I. and in Abhayadeva Sūri's
com. are given by Prof. N. V. Vaidya, in his edition (pp. 231-245) of this Anga. 2. See pp. 84, 16a etc. 3. See p. 16a etc. 4. For analysis and episode of this Ananda, one of the ten Mahāśrāvakas, see R. Ch. Dutt's
A History of civilization in Ancient India (vol. II) 5. "391470:- sracha r u a teka gra quefa ai 341HGY:"
-Siddhasena Gani's com. (p. 82) on Tattvārtha (1, 20)