History of Canonical Literature of Jainas

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

Page 74

REDACTION OF THE JAINA CANON
57
It was in the time of Skandila Suri that a famine lasted for 12 years. Some say that it worked a havoc on the Jaina scriptures while others say that it so happened that all the principal Anuyogadharas except Skandila Sūri died in Northern India.2 So Skandila summoned a council of Jaina saints at Mathurā and made up the kāliyasuya by taking a note of whatever could be gathered from them. A similar attempt to this Māthuri* or Skāndilī vācan, was almost simultaneously made by Nagarjuna' at Valabhi (modern Vala of Kathiawar)". Hemacandra Suri, in his commentary (p. 207) on Yogaśastra says that the Agamas were got written by Skandila Sūri and Nāgārjuna Sūri?. Unfortunately it so-happened that the version of one did not tally with that of the other in its entirety. So an attempt
1. In the Jaina literature we come across references about three twelve-year famines
prior to this. They occurred in the time of Bhadrabāhusvāmin, Arya Suhastin (c. Vira Samvat 291) and Vajrasvāmin respectively. The first of them was terrible; for it made all the Munis except Bhadrabāhusvāmin forget Ditthivāya (for details see Ch. IV). As regards the other two famines, it appears that it did not affect the knowledge of the Jaina scriptures in the case of the survivors. But these famines must have severely told upon the scarcity of food-an inference we can draw from the following lines occurring in the Cunni (pt. I, p. 404) on Avassaya :"इतो य वइरस्वामी दक्षिणावहे विहरति, दुब्भिक्खं च जायं बारसवरिसगं, सव्वतो समंता छिनपंथा, निराधारं जातं ।
ताहे वइरस्वामी विज्जाए आहडं पिंडं तद्दिवसं आणेति" 2. Cf. the following lines occurring in the Cunni (p. 8) on Nandi :
"बारससंवच्छरीए महंते दुब्भिक्खकाले भत्तट्ठा अण्णतो ठिताणं गहण-गुणणा-ऽणुप्पेहाऽभावतो सुते विप्पणढे पुणो सुभिक्खकाले जाते 'मधुरा'ए महंते साधुसमुदए खंदिलायरियप्पमुहसंघेण जो जं संभरइ त्ति एवं संघडितं कालितसुतं । जम्हा य एयं 'मधुरा'य कयं तम्हा 'माहुरा वायणा' भण्णति | x x x अण्णे भणंति-जहा सुतं ण णटुं तम्मि दुब्भिक्खकाले, जे अण्णे पहाणा अणुयोगधरा ते विट्ठा, एगे खंदिलायरिए संथेर, तेण 'मधुरा'ए अणुयोगो पुण
साधूणं पवत्तियो त्ति सा 'महुरा वायणा' भण्णति ।" 3. It appears that this happened sometime between Vira Samvat 827 and 840. 4. As this vācanā took place in the Saurasena region, it is possible that the Sauraseni
Prākệt may have influenced it. 5. His vācanā is known as Nāgārjuni or Vālabhi. 6. "अत्थि 'महुरा'उरीए सुयसमिद्धो खंदिलो नाम सूरी, तहा 'वलहि' नयरीए नागज्जुणो नाम सूरी । तेहि य जाए
बारसवरिसिए दुक्काले निव्वडभावओ विफुट्टि (?) काऊण पेसिया दिसोदिसिं साहवो । गमिउं च कहवि दुत्थं ते पुणो मिलिया सुगाले । जाव सज्झायंति ताव खंडुखरुडीहयं पव्वाहियं । ततो मा सयवोच्छित्ती होउ त्ति सिद्धंतद्धारो । तत्थ वि जं न वीसरीयं तं तहेव संठवियं । पम्हटाणं उण पुव्वावरावडंतसुत्तत्थाणुसारओ कया
संघडणा ।"-A Ms. of Bhadresvara Süri's Kahāvali 7. "जिनवचनं च दुष्षमाकालवशादुच्छिन्नप्रायमिति मत्वा भगवद्भिर्नागार्जुन-स्कन्दिलाचार्यप्रभृतिभिः पुस्तकेषु
न्यस्तम्।" 8. "इह हि स्कन्दिलाचार्यप्रवृत्तौ दुष्षमानुभावतो दुर्भिक्षप्रवृत्त्या साधूनां पठनगुणनादिकं सर्वमप्यनेशत् । ततो
दुर्भिक्षातिक्रमे सुभिक्षप्रवृत्तौ द्वयोः सङ्घयोर्मेलापकोऽभवत् । तद् यथा-एको 'वलभ्या' मेको 'मथुरा'याम् । तत्र च सत्रार्थसङ्कटने परस्परं वाचनाभेदो जातः ।" -Malayagiri's com. (p.41) on Joisakarandaga
HIST.-8