History of Canonical Literature of Jainas

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

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A HISTORY OF THE CANONICAL LITERATURE OF THE JAINAS
in which Bhadrabāhusvāmin died. Later on, with the death of Sthūlabhadra, even the verbal embodiment of these four Puvvas came to an end, as he was debarred from teaching them to others? Then, for some time at least, there flourished persons who were conversant with the first ten Puvvas, Vajrasvāmin being the last in the lot. After his svargagamana, there remained none who knew all the ten Puvvas in toto. Aryaraksita Sūri? who survived him, knew at least 9 Puvvas plus 24 javiyas of the 10th but he did not master the 10th completely. It appears that since his time the knowledge of the Puvvas went on getting curtailed so much so that by Vira Samvat 1000, all the Puvvas got forgotten, and thus Ditthivāya became extinct.4
It may be noted that in this cycle of time, there is no intermediate stage so far as the reduction of the knowledge from 14 Puvvas to 10 Puvvas is concerned. For, there has flourished none who knew. 13, 12 or 11 Puvvas. So says Droņa Sūri in his com. (p. 34)5 on Ohanijjutti.
Some believe that Nāgahastin or his contemporary knew five Puvvas, and that Skandila, Himavanta, Nāgārjuna, Govinda Vācaka, Samyamavisnu, Bhūtadinna,
1. "375 905 MTHET 3Tuuj Khai 7 fafa PETTI
इच्छामि जाणिउं जे अहमं चत्तारि पुव्वाई ॥८००।। नाहिसि तं पुव्वाइं सुयमेत्ताइं विमुग्गहा हिंति (?) दस पण ते अणुजाणे जाण पणदाई चत्तारि ॥८०१।। एतेण कारणेण उ पुरिसजुगे अट्ठमम्मि वीरस्स । F or yogis at yours II CORII-Ibid. 2. For his life see Āvassayacunni (pt. I, pp. 397-415). He died in Vira Samvat 584, the very
year when a schism named "Abaddhaditthi" arose in Dasapura. But according to Vālabhi Theravali, he died in Vira Samvat 597. It may be noted in passing that this furnishes us with an example of the difference of 13 years in calculations in the case
of the Skandiliya and Nāgārjunīya schools. See p. 59. 3. In Āvassayacunni (pt. I, p. 404) it is said :
"अचिरेण नव पुव्वाणि अधिताणि, दसममाढत्तो घेत्तुं, ताथे अज्जवइरा भणंति-जवियाई करेहि, एयं परिकम्ममेयस्स, ताणि य सुहुमाणि, गाढं गणिते तं सुहुमं, चउवीसं जविया, सो वि ताव तं अज्झाइ ।" Cf. the following lines occurring in Hemacandra's com. (p. 1003) on Visesāvassayabhāsa (v. 2509) :"शेषस्तु आर्यवैरस्वामिनः समीपेऽधीतो यावद् नव पूर्वाणि, तथा चविंशतियविकानि ।" In Prabhāvakacaritra (II, v. 117), there is mention of nine and a half Puvvas, and this
very thing is noted there in the case of Aryānandila, too. 4. "sigla u atare and Sath sirefoquing darufupi yri areti ya 3yufoorafa ." 5. See p. 19, fn. 1.