History of Canonical Literature of Jainas

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

Page 20

GENESIS OF THE JAINA SCRIPTURES
Jainism enunciates a rule that on the attainment of omniscience a Tirthankara delivers a sermon,1 and generally some persons do come forward to follow the noblest and highest path chalked out by him technically speaking to take the Jaina dīkṣā and thus to form a class of the Jaina clergy.2 Of them, those who are going to be the greatest apostles, technically known as 3Gaṇadharas, compose dvādaśāngīs each of which forms a nucleus of the Jaina scriptures.
Lord Mahāvīra (B.C. 599 B.C. 527) had eleven Gaṇadharas Indrabhūti and others, and each of them composed a dvādaśāngi. To enter into details, Indrabhūti after he had taken dīkṣā bowed to Lord Mahāvīra and asked "fa" (what is the essence underlying the animate and inanimate substances)? The Lord replied: "z an” (everything has a creation). Thereupon once more Indrabhūti asked the same question; for, he could not believe that there was nothing else but creation, when with his own eyes he could see destruction and permanence as well. The Lord replied: "fans ar" (everything perishes). This again led him to put the same question once more. This time the
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Kalikālasarvajña Hemacandra Suri observes in his Trisaṣṭisalā kāpuruṣacaritra (parvan X, sarga 5) :
"न सर्वविरतेरहः कोऽप्यत्रेति विदन्नपि । कल्प इत्यकरोत् तत्र निषण्णो देशनां विभुः ||१०|| "
By clergy, I here mean both monks and nuns. These together with the Jaina laity comprising Śrävakas and Śrāvikās, form the fourfold church known as caturvidha sangha to whom even the Tirthankara pays due respect.
In the Cunni (Pt. I, p. 325) on Avassaya it is said -
"सामी पयाहिणं करेमाणो पुव्वदारेण पविसित्ता 'नमो तित्थस्स' त्ति नमोक्कारं काऊण सीहासणे पुव्वाभिमुहो निसीयति ।"
3 Immediate principal disciples - heads of groups of monks. Bhadrabāhusvāmin says in his Avassayanijjutti:
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"पढमित्थ इंदभूई बिइओ उण होइ अग्गिभूई त्ति ।
तइए य वाउभूई तओ वियत्ते सुहम्मे य ।। ५९३ ।। मंडिय मरियपुत्ते अकंपिए चेव अयलभाया य ।
मेयज्जे य पभासे गणहरा होंति वीरस्स ।। ५९४ ।।
These verses occur almost ad verbatim as v. 20 & 21 in Nandi.