Jain Journal 1968 01

Author(s): Jain Bhawan Publication
Publisher: Jain Bhawan Publication

Page 10

JANUARY, 1968
Another characteristic of the Bhagavati is that it starts with mangala or the namaskara mantra and salutation to the Brahmi script. Among various subjects considered in the dialogue the most important are heaven the sun, the moon, the asura-kumāras, lokapālas, hells, etc. An interesting dialogue deals with the vegetable-bodies (vanaspatikāya) and the seasons in which they take much food and those in which their intakediminishes. This dialogue also indicates that alu contain endless number of jivas. But surely this alu was not potato; it must have been something of the nature of ground-nut. Potato is not indigenous to the soil of India and hence there could not have been a taboo on its consumption at this date. Another dialogue deals with dreams and may be deemed as a prehistoric forerunner of Freud.
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The last six chapters are each very small and deal with the rest of the Sutras. Of these the Jñātādharmakatha throws much light on social life of the time through interesting stories, descriptions, record of events or even words. The Upasakadasã deals with the life of ten lay disciples of Mahavira and throws much light on the gṛhasthadharma or the life of the householders. This should be deemed very important, since the śrāvakas and śravikās are equally a part of the Jaina four-fold order. The Antakṛtadasa deals with such souls as have put an end to the endless cycle of births and deaths. The Anuttaraupapatikadaśa deals with souls living in what is called the five anuttara vimānas, which are put above the nava graiveyaka vimāna, which in turn is above the twelfth heaven. The Praśna Vyakarana deals with the five asravas and five samvaras. The Vipaka Sutra throws light on the social life, customs and usages and the living of the people. Dṛṣtivada which is the twelfth Anga is only mentioned in the first appendix. Much of it has however disappeared from the time of Bhadrabahu.
This indeed is a very learned and comprehensive work throwing light on different aspects of the Anga literature on the basis of the available information and will be a valuable addition to the existing literature on the Jaina sacred texts. The reviewer however owes a word of apology in making this review virtually a summary of the book in English, since he feels that such a learned work need come to the notice of scholars who may be handicapped about the Hindi language. Till a full English version of the book is available, which may take some time, this summary is expected to meet their inquisitiveness and if it does, the humble effort will be deemed to have served its purpose.
-K. C. Lalwani