History of Canonical Literature of Jainas

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

Page 210

COMPARISON AND EVALUATION
given the names of 7 kinds of compounds along with their examples, 8 varieties of taddhita etc. Kotyäcärya in his commentary (p. 129) on Visesä" quotes a verse1 whereby we learn that in Prakṛta, the dual number is represented by the plural, and the dative case is replaced by the genitive." As noted on p. 161 Anuogaddāra (s. 130) mentions 9 kavyarasas along with their illustrations. Therein the mention of vedanaä as one of the rasas seems to be unique. Incidentally I may state that Thana supplies us with a lot of upamas, and various descriptions occurring in the Agamas show the poetical ability of the authors concerned.
Poetics
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193
Sutta Leaving aside the 1st suyakkhandha of Suyagada and the 6th ajjhayaṇa of its 2nd suyakkhandha, and several ajjhayanas of Uttarajhyana and some of the Painnagas, we have the rest of the Jaina canon mostly written in prose. They consist of small sentences which are styled as sūtras (Pr. suttas), and this is supposed to have led to every Agama being designated as sūtra. Even Prof. Winternitz uses this terminology; for, he has used the word Ayāramgasutta in his article (p. 147) referred to on p. 206, fn. 17. It
1. Its 2nd foot is quoted by Haribhadra Suri in his com. (p. 1') on Dasaveyäliya. 2. For details see my article Grammatical topics in Paiya to be
3. For details see my article "aaa za" published in Mänasi (vol. VI, No. 1, pp. 19-24).
4. Some of these are noted in the foregoing pages. To these may be added the description of Kacchulla Narada given in Nayadhammakahä (I, XVI; s. 122) and that of a person to be executed occurring in Vivägasuya (II; §37).
5. This word is used in the Indian literature of olden days in various senses :
(i) A short rule, a concise sentence or an aphorism used as an aid to memory. This is what is conveyed by the following verse :
"अल्पाक्षरमसन्दिग्धं सारवद् विश्वतोमुखम् । अस्तोभमनवद्यं च सूत्र सूत्रविदो विदुः ॥" Cf. p. 194, fn. 4. The main idea is to achieve the utmost economy of language that can be had without marring the intended sense.
(ii) A work consisting of pithy sentences e. g. Aṣṭādhyāyī known as Pāṇinisūtra.
(iii) A work having short sentences where the utmost verbal economy is not strictly aimed at. The Pratiśäkhyas, Śrautasutras, Grhyasütras and Dharmasutras are the works which may be cited as instances.
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(iv) A discourse or a sermon. This meaning is applicable to the sacred works of the Jainas and the Bauddhas.
6. I am inclined to believe that this word here means a scripture and not a pithy sentence, though both these meanings are conveyed by this word.
7. It remains to be ascertained as to who was the first to have added the word sutta as a suffix to the name of an Agama. I do not think that the author of the work concerned, has done so.
See page 213 of addition. See page 214 of addition.