History of Canonical Literature of Jainas

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

Page 57

THE CANONICAL LITERATURE OF THE JAINAS Though the word 'Cheyasutta' thus occurs as early as the date of Avassayanijjutti, there is no mention about the number of Cheyasuttas till we come to a very very late date. The earliest source which I remember at present, and which mentions the number and names of Cheyasuttas is Bhāvaprabha Suri's com. (p. 94) on his own work Jainadharmavarastotra (v. 30). There this Sūri who attained this status in Samvat 1772 says: " अथ निशीथ १ महानिशीथ २ व्यवहार ३ दशाश्रुतस्कन्ध | ४ बृहत्कल्प ५ जीतकल्प ६ इति षट् छेदग्रन्थाः ।”
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On this very page he has quoted the following verse which shows that in his days at least, the number of the Cheyasuttas was fixed as six : इक्कारस अंगाइ ११ बारस उवंगाइ २३ दस पयन्नाई ३३ ।
छ छेय ३९ मूल चउरो ४३ नंदी ४४ अणुयोग पणयाला ४५ ॥”
In modern days, too, the very six works noted above are looked upon as Cheyasuttas. Furthermore Jiyakappa is considered as a Cheyasutta owing to the extinction of Pañcakappa which used to be looked upon as the 6th Cheyasutta. In this connection, it may be mentioned that some of the modern Jaina monks believe that Pañcakappa formed a part and parcel of the Bhasa on Kappa, and somehow it came to be looked upon as a separate treatise a case similar to Ohanijjutti and Pindanijjutti. I am not at present in a position to point out either the actual date since Pañcakappa began to be considered as a separate treatise or the actual date when it got lost. It is however suggested in Jaina granthavali (p. 16)2 that Pañcakappa
1. This is also called Dasa and Ayāradasă as well.
2. “પંચકલ્પનું મૂલ સંવત ૧૬૧૨ સુધી મોજુદ હતું, પણ હાલમાં તે ગુમ થયું છે. એના સંબંધે બહુ શોધ કરતાં પણ એની પ્રત હાથ આવી નથી. ડેક્કન કૉલેજના સંગ્રહમાં પણ તે મલી નથી. ફક્ત એટલો પત્તો મલ્યો છે કે ખંખાતમાં ગોરજી દેવચંદજીના પાસે જે પુસ્તકો છે તેમાં તે પ્રત પાના ૧૦ ની તેની ટીપમાં લખેલી જણાય છે તો તે ત્યાં હોવાનો સંભવ છે, માટે સૂત્રરુચિશોધક જૈનોએ ત્યાં તપાશ કરવી જોઈએ છીએ.’’
[Tra. "The original Pañcakalpa was extant till Samvat 1612, but at present it is lost. Even after great search for it, no ms. of it is found. It is not found even in the collection of mss. preserved in Deccan College. But only this much information is available that in a ten page list of the books belonging to Goraji Devachandraji of Cambay the ms. is mentioned, so possibly it may be there, therefore Jaina researchers should search it there."]