History of Canonical Literature of Jainas

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

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THE CANONICAL LITERATURE OF THE JAINAS
in his commentary (p. 207a) on Yogaśāstra (III, 120) says that the Āgamas were got written by Skandila Sūri and Nāgārjuna Sūri. Unfortunately it so happened that the version of one did not tally with that of the other in its entirety.2 So an attempt to improve this situation was however later on made by the council that met at Valabhī, under the able presidentship of Devarddhi Gani Kşamāśramang, after the terrible famine which had lasted for 12 years came to an end. At this council, all the important works of the Jainas then available were written down. This event is technically known as pustakārohana of the Jaina Āgamas or 'Redaction of the Jaina Canon'.4 It appears that the Skāndiliyas who had 1. “जिनवचनं च दुष्षमाकालवशादुच्छिन्नप्रायमिति मत्वा भगवद्भिर्नागार्जुन-स्कन्दिलाचार्यप्रभृतिभिः पुस्तकेषु न्यस्तम् ।" 2. "इह हि स्कन्दिलाचार्यप्रवृत्तौ दुष्षमानुभावतो दुर्भिक्षप्रवृत्त्या साधूनां पठनगुणनादिकं सर्वमप्यनेशत् । ततो दुर्भिक्षातिक्रमे
सुभिक्षप्रवृत्तौ द्वयोः सङ्घयोर्मेलापकोऽभवत् । तद् यथा-एको 'वलभ्या'मेको 'मथूरा'याम् । तत्र च सूत्रार्थसकटने परस्परं
arahat Fils " - Malayagiri's com. (p. 41) on Joïsakarandaga. 3. This is thus the 3rd council that tried to restore the Jaina scriptures, and in a
way it is the 4th, in case we admit that a council had met at Pataliputra in the life-time of Sthūlabhadra. Some believe that the following rendering of the Hāthīgumphā inscription of the Emperor Khāravela suggests this:
"The four-fold Anga-saptika of 64 sections lost in the time of the Maurya king, he restores." Journal of Baroda O. R. S. (IV, p. 236).
In A History of Indian Literature (Vol. II, p. 431 n) it is said : "If Sten Konow (Acta Or. 1, 1922, p. 20 ff.) is right in his explanation of the Häthigumphā inscription of Khāravela, then this inscription would furnish a confirmation of the Jaina tradition regarding the Council of Pātaliputra and the Ditthivāya, and King Khāravela (170 B. C. ?) would in that case have compiled a recension of the Angas in 64 sections. Konow's explanation is ingenious, but very much open to doubt."
Turning to the Bauddha literature we find parallels to these Jaina councils. For instance as noted in A History of Indian Literature (Vol. II, pp. 4 and 5) 3 councils were convened in connection with the restoration and adjustment of the Bauddha scriptures : The 1st council was organized by the immediate disciples of Lord Buddha and was held in the city of Räjagaha (modern Rajgir); the 2nd was held at Vesāli, 100 years after the nirvāņa of Lord Buddha; and the 3rd was convened in the time of King Asoka when the compilation of a real canon of the sacred texts of the Bauddhas was undertaken. "श्रीदेवर्द्धिगणिक्षमाश्रमणेन श्रीवीरादशीत्यधिकनवशत(९८०)वर्षे जातेन द्वादशवर्षीयदुर्भिक्षवशाद् बहुतरसाधुव्यापत्तौ बहुश्रुतविच्छित्तौ च जातायां... भविष्यद्भव्यलोकोपकाराय श्रुतभक्तये च श्रीसकाग्रहाद् मृतावशिष्टतदाकालीनसर्वसाधून् 'वलभ्या'माकार्य तन्मुखादविच्छिन्नावशिष्टान् न्यूनाधिकान् त्रुटितानुत्रुटितानागमालापकाननुक्रमेण स्वमत्या सङ्कलय्य पुस्तकारूढाः कृताः । ततो मूलतो गणघरभाषितानामपि आगमानां कर्ता श्रीदेवर्द्धिगणिक्षमाश्रमण एव जातः ।"
- Sāmācārīšataka of Samayasundara