History of Canonical Literature of Jainas

Author(s): Hiralal R Kapadia, Nagin J Shah
Publisher: Prakrit Text Society Ahmedabad

Page 177

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THE CANONICAL LITERATURE OF THE JAINAS
goes to the latter for bhiksā (alms); but the latter refuses to give it to him on the ground that it is meant for the Brāhmanas who are wellversed in the Vedas, who are for sacrifices, who are conversant with the Jyotisanga, etc. Thereupon Jayaghosa asks him questions which Vijayaghosa fails to answer and which are replied by the former at the request of the latter. This answer given in verses2 provides us with a vivacious description of the characteristics of a true Brāhmaṇa. Vijayaghosa is satisfied by this answer and renounces the world.
Ajjhayaņas XXIV and XXVI-XXXVI deal more or less with the Jaina dogmas. Ajjhayana XXVI forms the basis of daśavidhasāmācārī as stated by Malayagiri Sūri in his com. (p. 341b) on Avassayanijjutti (v. 665), by Hemacandra Sūri in his com. (p. 842) on Visesão and by Drona Sūri in his com (p. 1b) on Ohanijjutti. It appears that ajjhayana XXVIII may be looked upon as the basis of Tattvarthasūtra. Ajjhayana XXIX points out the different guņas which finally lead to salvation. In all they are here given as 73, and each of them is separately treated in order with numbers 1, 2 etc.
As regards the contents of the remaining ajjhayanas, it may be noted that the 7th consists mainly of parables, and the 16th deals with the commandment of chastity.
In conclusion I may quote the following lines from A History of Indian Literature (vol. II, p. 466) :
"The oldest nucleus3 consists of valuable poems - series of gnomic aphorisms, parables and similes, dialogues and ballads - which belong to the ascetic poetry of ancient India, and also have their parallels in
st literature in part. These poems remind us most forcibly of the Sutta Nipāta."
i "Pa gufa aut a fa ET JEI
नक्खत्ताण मुहं न जं च धम्माण वा मुहं. ॥११|| जे समत्था समुद्धत्तुं परमप्पाणमेव य
न ते तुमं वियाणासि अह जाणासि तो भण ॥१२॥ 2 Each of these verses has for its refrain: "a ai Ati". Cf. p. 158, fn.1. 3 “The earlier sections contain 'an abundance of archaic and curious forms of Prākrit,
s. R. Pischel, Grammatik der Prakrit-sprachen, in 'Grundriss' 1, 8 para 19." - A History of Indian Literature (vol. II, p. 466, fn. 3).