History of Canonical Literature of Jainas

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

Page 76

REDACTION OF THE JAINA CANON
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neither a complete list wherein these works are enumerated nor any source which mentions the order in which they were written.
(ii) A serious attempt was made to reconcile the differences in the two versions pertaining to the councils held at Mathurā and Valabhī.
(iii) In cases where this failed, it was thought desirable to note the variants, either in the original Agamas or their commentaries. In the former case, the variants were generally introduced by the words art
of which a typical example is furnished by the following lines occurring in Pajjosaņākappa (s. 147) :
__"समणस्स भगवओ महावीरस्स जाव सव्वदुक्खप्पहीणस्स नव वाससयाई विइक्कंताई, दसमस्स य वाससयस्स अयं असीइमे संवच्छरे काले गच्छड. वायणंतरे पण अयं तेणउए संवच्छरड इइ दीसइ ।"
In the latter case there was a reference to the Nāgārjunīya school?.
(iv) Practically the entire Jaina canonical literature was written according to the version of the Mathură council, as a connected link. I use the word practically to denote that Joisakarandaga is based upon the Vālabhi version.
(v) Several vannäās3 which were occurring in more than one Agama
1. None seems to have fixed the order of the canonical works available at present. So I have
taken up this problem. On a cursory examination I find that some of the Uvangas etc. were
written first and then some of the Angas. See Tattvarasikacandikā (pt. I, p. 49). 2. "T uruf a Co" Tikå (p. 245) on Āyāra
"arriere yoff-740 Harmo"-Ibid. p. 253 "M IRT T -GLO "-Ibid. p. 256 "T r eat Yf-8 ato "-Ibid. p. 303 "BEIGT I n Yofa-Su Qe Jafgcio 1"-Tīkä (p. 64) on Sūyagada
"M itra non-ferne fagforeto 1"-Ibid. p. 64 3. Vannaa (Sk. varnaka) means a description. This word is placed after any one of the
following words or the like of which the description is to be supplied from the foregoing portion or another work :A city, a sanctuary, a great forest, trees, a dais of earthen blocks, Jambū, Mahāvīra, a king, a queen, a dream, a gymnasium and the physical exercise, a bath-house, an audiencechamber, a palace and a procession. It may be noted in the connection that at times legends related after a stereotyped pattern are often represented in the Jaina canon as a mere skeleton which the reader is left to fill in with set words and phrases like cliches. As observed in A His. of Ind. Lit. (vol. II, p. 450, fn. 3) "we find something similar in the canon of the Sarvästivādins." Furthermore, there on p. 280, fn. it is said : "Clichès of the same kind, also occur in the Bengali poems, s. Dinesh Chandra Sen, History of Bengali language and literature, p. 585 f."