Jaina Agamic Literature importance of Right Knowledge

Author(s): Dulichand Jain
Publisher: Z_Mohanlal_Banthiya_Smruti_Granth_012059.pdf

Page 3

स्व: मोहनलाल बांठिया स्मृति ग्रन्थ
Maurya. Due to this many monks perished and many dispersed to other areas. The Jaina Sangha began to worry about the safety of holy Agamas. After the famine, the first council of monks was held at Pataliputra (modern Patna) under the leadership of Acarya Sthulibhadra to compile the vest Agamic literature. During this council, eleven Angas were recited, none of the monks present had in their memory the twelth Anga Drstavada. The only monk who had the knowledge of this was Acarya Bhadrabahu, the guru of Sthulibhadra, but he had gone to Nepal to conduct Mahaprāna dhyāna (servere yogic activities) for twelve years. The Jaina congregation then decided to send Acarya Sthulibhadra and his disciple monks to Nepal to acquire the knowledge of ten Drstivāda. Acārya Sthūlibhadra learned the knowledge of ten Purvas from Acarya Bhadrabahu. At that time, he exhibited some special supernatural powers, acquired by him from his guru. When the guru came to know of it, he declined to impart the knowledge of remaining four Purvas to Sthulibhadra. After much persuasion he agreed to impart only the text of the remaining four Purvas but not their imports. Thus, Sthulibhadra could memorise the entire texts but he could learn the meaning of only ten Purvas but not their imports. Thus, Sthūlibhadra could memorise the entire texts but he could learn the meaning of only ten Purvas and not all fourteen Purvas. This was the first attempt to compile the Āgamas and this conference was known as the Pataliputra rendering. However, the Agamic literature was still not written and the basis of safeguarding it was still by oral tradition.
३ ३ ६