History of Canonical Literature of Jainas

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

Page 188

THE CANONICAL EXEGETICAL LITERATURE
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Prākrta terminations at times. This indicates that the Samskrta language was slowly but surely receiving more and more attention at the hands of the Jainas who wanted to popularize their literature. Cunni is written in prose, and this is another respect in which it differs from Nijjutti and Bhāsa.
Bhāsa is styled as Gahā, too, since it is composed in gāthās in Prākrta. This is what we learn from the Vyākhyā of Visehacunni of Nistha (XX). There its author Śrīcandra Sūri, pupil of śīlabhadra has made the following observation :
" Meria 1 77977 Torej efia rarefeitud I"
Just as we have not got Nijjuttis for all the canonical texts, similarly there are not Bhāsas for every Nijjuttil - much less for every Agama. It seems that Bhāsas were composed in the case of at least the following 11 Āgamas :
(1) Āvassaya, (2) Dasaveyāliya, (3) Uttarajjhayana, (4) Kappa, (5) Pañcakappa,? (6) Vavahāra, (7) Nistha, (8) Pañcamangalasuyakkhandha,» (9) Jiyakappa, (10) Ohanijjutti* and (11) Pindanijjutti.
For Āvassaya, there are three Bhāsas, one of which is known as Mülabhāsa.4 The others are known as Bhāsas and Viseśão. There are about 183 verses in Mülabhāsa, about 350 in Bhāsa and about 4314 in Višeśão.
Višeśão-This is Sāmāïyabhāsā i. e. to say a Bhāsa on the Nijjutti of Āvassaya (1). Not only are some of the verses of this Nijjutti incorporated in it'; but, even some of the gathās of two earlier Bhāsas on this Nijjutti, too, are assigned a place herein. This work is named as Viseśão in order to distinguish it from this Bhāsa* and that, too, probably by some commentator other than Jinabhadra. It refers to Vāsavadattā and Tarangavai in v. 1508.' The former
1. For instance there seem to be no Bhāsas pertaining to the Nijjuttis on Āyāra, Sūyagada,
Sūriyapannatti, Dasāsuyakkhandha and Isibhāsiya. 2. I have included Pancakappa in this list, as I think that it is after all a Nijjutti on a
portion of Kappa. Herein there is a reference to Kālika Sūri's going to an Ajīvaka for
studying the astānga-nimitta. 3. The Bhāsa on this is extinct. See p. 74, fn. 3. 4-5 See the edition (pp. 573 and 591) of Visesa with Gujarāti translation. 6. Cf.
" Halutmesi Å HTTK 1501
Es f ehIFT 193117 11838801"_Višeśā° 7. For a list of these verses see Āv. Lit. (pp. 35-36). 8. In Kappacunni (pedhabandha 93) we have: "Efatha TTH." Vide Av. Lit. (p. 31 fn.). 9. "जह वा निद्दिट्टवसा वासवदत्ता-तरंगवइयाई । तह निद्देसगवसओ लोए मणुरक्खवाउ त्ति ॥१५०८।। * See page 212 of addition. * See page 212 of addition.