History of Canonical Literature of Jainas

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

Page 82

REDACTION OF THE JAINA CANON
65 the intellect, thé grasping power and the retentive capacity were getting deteriorated. Later on, it was found absolutely necessary to prepare a number of Mss. of the Jaina canonical literature. How this happened may be briefly described as under: ____It was in the time of Skandila Suri that a famine2 lasted for 12 years. Some say that it worked a havoc on the Jaina scriptures while others say that it so happened that all the principal Anuyogadharas except Skandila Sūri died in Northern India.3 So Skandila summoned a council of Jaina saints at Mathurā and made up the kāliyasuya by taking a note of whatever could be gathered from them.4 A similar attempt to this Mathuris or Skāndilī vācană was almost simultaneously made by
Nagarjuna' at Valabhi (modern Vala of Kathiawar).7 Hemacandra Suri 1. In the Visehacunni on Nistha, it is remarked : "मेहा-ओगहण-धारणादिपरिहाणिं जाणिऊण
कालियसुयणिज्जुत्तिणिमित्तं वा पोत्थगपणगं घेप्पति । कोसो त्ति समुदाओ।" 2. In the Jaina literature we come across references about three twelve-year famines
prior to this. They occurred in the time of Bhadrabāhusvāinin, Arya Suhastin (c. Vira Samvat 291) and Vajrasvamin respectively. The first of them was terrible; for, it made all the Munis except Bhadrabāhusvāmin forget Ditthivaya (for details see Ch. IV). As regards the other two famines it appears that it did not affect the knowledge of the Jaina scriptures in the case of the survivors. But these famines must have severely told upon the scarcity of food-an inference we can draw from the following lines occurring in the Cunni (pt. I, p. 404) on Āvassaya :
'इतो य वइरस्वामी दक्खिणावहे विहरति, दुब्भिक्खं च जायं बारसवरिसगं, सव्वतो समंता छिनपंथा, निराधारं जातं । ताहे वइरस्वामी विज्जाए आहडं पिंडं तद्दिवसं आणेति" 3. Cf. the following lines occurring in the Cunni (p. 8) on Nandi :
"बारससंवच्छरीए महंते दुब्भिक्खकाले भत्तट्ठा अण्णतो ठिताएं गहण-गुणणा-ऽणुप्पेहाऽभावतो सुते विप्पणढे पुणो सुभिक्खकाले जाते 'मधुरा'ए महंते साधुसमुदए खंदिलायरियप्पमुहसंघेण जो जं संभरइ त्ति एवं संघडितं कालितसुतं । जम्हा य एवं 'मधुरा'य कयं तम्हा 'माहुरा वायणा' भण्णति ।.... अण्णे भणंति-जहा सुतं ण णटुं तम्मि दुभिक्खकाले, जे अण्णे पहाणा अणुयोगधरा ते विणट्ठा, एगे खंदिलायरिए संथरे, तेण 'मधुरा'ए अणुयोगो पुण साधूणं पवत्तियो त्ति सा 'महुरा वायणा' भण्णति ।"
It appears that this happened sometime between Vira Samvat 827 and 840. 5. As this vācanā took place in the Saurasena region, it is possible that the
Sauraseni Prākrta may have influenced it. 6. His vācană is known as Nāgārjuni or Välabhi. 7. “अत्थि 'महुरा'उरीए सुयसमिद्धो खंदिलो नाम सूरी, तहा 'वलहि'नयरीए नागजुणो नाम सूरी । तेहि य जाए बारसवरिसिए
दुक्काले निव्वडभावओ विफुटिं (?) काऊण पेसिया दिसोदिसिं साहवो । गमिउं च कहवि दुत्थं ते पुणो मिलिया सुगाले। जाव सज्झायंति ताव खंडुखुरुडीहूयं पुव्वाहियं । ततो मा सुयवोच्छित्ती होउ त्ति पारद्धो सूरीहिं सिद्धंतुद्धारो । तत्थ वि जं न वीसरीयं तं तहेव संठवियं । पम्हुट्ठाणं उण पुव्वावरावडंतसुत्तत्थाणुसारओ कया संघडणा।" - A Ms. of Bhadresvara Suri's Kahavali