Jain Journal 1968 07

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

Page 13

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JAIN JOURNAL
merely restricted to space but extends to time—the well-known Jaina view of time-cycle in terms of up-cycle (utsarpini) and down-cycle (avasarpini). One study in this is devoted to the Emperor Bharata after whom the land where we live is named Bharata. The story starts with the birth of a cakra-ratna (wheel-jewel) in the king's armoury which the king comes to see. The king duly worships the wheel after which it moves out to serve as a guide. The king takes the hint and follows the wheel with his army on a mission of world conquest. After a glorious military career the king becomes an Emperor, a cakravartin. The story ends with Bharata's sudden indifference to the world, his renunciation, his acquisition of the knowledge of the free and ultimate liberation.
The remaining five Upāngas are collectively called Nirayāvaliyā or Nirayāvalikā because the first one of this bunch is called by that name. According to Winternitz, originally these five constituted one Sutra but later in order to raise the number of Upāngas to twelve this Sutra was split into five. Candra Suri has written a valuable commentary on the Nirayāvaliyā.
The second part of the book deals with the Müla Sutras. Like the twelve Upārgas, even the Müla Sūtras are not taken note of in the early Agamic literature nor is it clearly known why they were so called. Divergent views are prevalent on this point. Nonetheless the fact remains that the Mula Sutras in themselves constitute very important sacred texts, dealing with the life of the monks, and, in consequence innumerable commentaries have been written on these. According to one view, however, which appears convincing, these are called Müla Sutras or basic formulae because they strengthen the roots of equanimity and help their growth. Of the Mula Sutras, the foremost is indeed the Uttarādhyayana. According to Prof. Leumann, as it was composed after the Argas it was called Uttara (posterior) Adhyayana. But from the Tikās we come to know that it was so called because it was delivered as Uttara (answer) to 36 questions by Lord Mahavira in his last monsoon retreat. The Uttarādhyayana contains many invaluable utterances which have become a sort of permanent spiritual light. It contains the well-known life-history of Aristanemi, recounted elsewhere in this journal. Āvas yaka is the second Mula Sütra dealing with essential spiritual exercises in daily life, like sāmāyika, prayer, pratikramana, kāyotsarga, etc. The dominant theme of Dasavaikālika, the third of the Müla Sutras, is the life of a monk. It has ten chapters indicating do's and don'ts for the recluse. There are two Cilikās in the end. The remaining two Mula Sūtras are Pinda-niryukti and Ogha-niryukti, the former dealing with pinda or food and the latter with multifarious behaviour of the monks. Datavaikālika