History of Canonical Literature of Jainas

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

Page 56

CLASSIFICATIONS OF THE ĀGAMAS
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Jainism. It may be added that the Mülasūtras at least in their present form seem to have nothing to do with penances. Cheda means 'cut', and consequently Chedasūtra may be construed as a treatise which prescribes cuts in seniority (diksā-paryaya) in the case of the Jaina clergy on their violating any rules of their order.2 This is one of the conjectures. The other and more plausible
may make, is based upon the following verse of Pancakappabhāsa quoted in Abhidhānarājendra (vol. III, p. 1361) :
'परिणाम अपरिणामा अइपरिणामा य तिविहा पुरिसा तु । णातूणं छेदसुत्तं परिणामणे होंति दायव्वं ॥'
From this it follows that a class of works which can be taught to the parinata pupils only, and not to the other two types of pupils viz. apariņata? and atipariņata*, is designated as Chedasutta.
These are the two conjectures I may note at present. So I shall now refer to the oldest source where the word Cheyasuttas or its variant Chedasutta is to be met with. The former word occurs in the Avassayanijjutti, the pertinent verse being as under :
"जं च महाकप्पसुअं जाणि अ सेसाणि छेयसुत्ताणि।
RuocUTTTTTT for differet 30tenfor 11066116 The latter word occurs in Pañcakappabhāsa.? 1. See A History of Indian Literature, Vo. II, p. 461, fn.4. 2. Prof. W. Schubring has expressed this very view in his introduction (p. III) to
"Dasaveyaliya Sutta". For, there he has said : "another group of texts which are intended to lay down rules of monkish life and to fix the course of procedure in case of transgression, is called Cheyasutta after the Eu (), a punishment which
consists in "shortening” the seniority of the culprit, thus degrading him in rank." 3. Undeveloped; not properly developed in intelligence etc. 4. Overdeveloped; hyperlogical. 5. The word Cheya suya occurs in Jīyakappacunni (v. 9) of Siddhasena Sūri. The
verse in question is as under:
"जेण य छेयसुयत्था आवत्तीदाणविरयणा जत्तेणं । पुरिसविसेसेण फुडा निजूढा जीयदाणकप्पम्मि विही ॥९॥" 6. This verse is incorporated as v. 2295 in Visesāvassayabhāsa. 7. In Visehacunni (XVIII, fol. 469) of Nisiha we come across this word in the
following lines quoted by Muni Kalyānavijaya in his article " 19uti grat" published in "Jaina Yuga" (1, 3, p. 87):
"णिसीहमादियस्स छेदसुत्तस्स जो अत्थो आगतो सुत्तं वा मोक्कलाणि वा पच्छित्तविहाणाणि मंताणि वा जोणिपाहुडं वा गाहंतो अण्णत्थागाहेति"