History of Canonical Literature of Jainas

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

Page 95

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THE CANONICAL LITERATURE OF THE JAINAS one of them, came to Nepal and tried to prosecute their studies. But all except Sthulabhadra left the place as they could not face this situation.1 He ( Sthūlabhadra ), too, could not completely master all the 14 Puvvas as for some reason or other Bhadrabāhusvāmin withheld the meaning of the last four Puvvas from him. Thus the meaning of the last 4 Puvvas got lost in Vira Samvat 170, the year in which Bhadrabahusvamin died. Later on, with the death of Sthulabhadra, even the verbal embodiment of these four Puvvas came to an end, as he was debarred from teaching them to others.2 Then, for some time at least, there flourished persons who were conversant with the first ten Puvvas, Vajrasvāmin being the last in the lot. After his svargagamana there remained none who knew all the ten Puvvas in toto. Āryarakṣita Suri3 who survived him knew at least 9 Puvvas plus 24 javiyas of the 10th 4 but he did not master the 10th completely. It appears that since his
1 "उज्जुत्ता मेहावी, सद्धाए वायणं अलभमाणा ।
2
अह ते थोवा थोवा, सव्वे समणा विनिस्सरिया ।। ७४१ ।।
कोनवर न मुंचति, सगडालकुलस्स जसकरो धीरो ।
नामेण थूलभद्दो, अविहीसाधम्मभद्दो त्ति ।। ७४२ ।। " -Titthogāliya
"अह भणइ थूलभद्दो अण्णं रूवं न किंचि काहामो ।
3
इच्छामि जाणिउं जे अहमं चत्तारि पुव्वाई ।। ८०० ।।
नाहिसि तं पुव्वाई सुयमेत्ताइं विमुग्गहा हिंति ( ? ) ।
दस पुण ते अणुजाणे जाण पणट्ठाई चत्तारि ।। ८०१ ।।
एतेण कारणेण उ पुरिसजुगे अट्ठमम्मि वीरस्स ।
सयराहेण पणट्ठाई जाण चत्तारि पुव्वाई ॥ ८०२ ।।" - Ibid.
For his life see Avassayacunni (pt. I, pp. 397-415 ). He died in Vira Sarivat 584, the very year when a schism named "Abaddhadiṭṭhi" arose in Dasapura. But according to Vālabhī Therāvali, he died in Vira Samvat 597. It may be noted in passing that this furnishes us with an example of the difference of 13 years in calculations in the case of the Skandiliya and Nagarjuniya schools. See p. 67. In Avassayacunni (pt. I, p. 404) it is said :
4
“ अचिरेण नव पुव्वाणि अधिताणि, दसममाढत्तो घेत्तुं ताथे अज्जवइरा भणंति-जवियाई करेहि, एयं परिकम्ममेयस्स, ताणि य सुहुमाण, गाढं गणिते तं सुहुमं, चउवीसं जविया, सो वि ताव तं अज्झाइ ।”
Cf. the following lines occurring in Hemacandra's com. (p.1003) on Visesāvassayabhāsa (v. 2509) :
"शेषस्तु आर्यवैरस्वामिनः समीपेऽधीतो यावद् नव पूर्वाणि, तथा चतुर्विंशतियविकानि ।”
In Prabhāvakacarita (II, v. 117), there is mention of nine and a half Puvvas, and this very thing is noted there in the case of Aryanandila, too.