History of Canonical Literature of Jainas

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

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COMPARISON AND EVALUATION
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questions either to oneself or to some one else who can enlighten us on the point concerned. Usually the latter course is easy to be followed. This leads to a formation of praśnottara paddhati-a method adopted and approved of by even the present educational system. In this method, it is necessary to select pregnant questions. It is perhaps a peculiar feature of the Jaina canon that herein we come across entire works embodying such questions. They are Viāhapannatti, Pannavanā, Nandi and Anuogaddāra. Out of them the first comprises thirty-six thousand (36,000) questions.
Ethics-The Jaina ethics2 is not without its specialities. The doctrine of ahiṁsā forms the corner-stone of Jaina ethics, and its treatment and scope hold practically a unique place even when other systems of Indian thought which appreciate the virtue of ahiṁsā, are taken into account. The doctrine of ahimsā is not so simple as it appears. It is a subtle science, and the Jaina pontiffs3 have pointed out its various intricacies.4 Panhāvāgarana (s. 21) mentions 60 synonyms of ahimsă and 30 of hiṁsā in s. 2.
Maxims - It is but natural that in works dealing with religion and ethics, one can easily come across maxims - apopthegms (subhasitas). In the canonical literature we find a lot of them. Mr. G. J. Patel has singled out some of them in his following works :
1. metattareita? STEREY (57 341-14 3erri' srirac) pp. 193-203. 2. weraitetarit 2994 (stat 314 'Paganin' # Errara) pp. 241-250. 3. Teekannt sifaru 34A ( 3Trezet 37417ara) pp. 271-281. 4. WAHISHI SYARI (SîGerda Tahu) pp. 138-146.
The following remark made by Prof. Winternitz in connection with the contents of Uttarajjhayana may be here noted :
1. Indrabhūti and others did so. 2. It appears that this subject has not attracted as much attention of the scholars as it
should, though there are materials whereby a comprehensive treatise can be written in this connection. I know of only three attempts made in this direction. One of them was made by Dr. Charlotte Krause as can be seen from her article An interpretation of Jaina Ethics. I think she has written another article in this connection and it has been published in some standard journal of India. I remember to have read one article in German where the Jaina view about ethics was compared with the Zoroastrian one;
but I am not in a position at present to specify the source. 3. See Arhatadarśanadīpikā (pp. 835-849). 4. See Viāhapannatti (1, 8; 68), Dasaveyāliyanijjutti (v. 45) and Haribhadra Sūri's com.
(pp. 246-25") on this last work.