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232
Jaina Ethics
Acārānga.1 Some hold that the first adhyayana of the first śrutaskandha is the oldest of all.2
As regards the date of Acārānga, Jacobi has placed it in the first part of the 3rd century B.C.3
Among the commentaries of Acārānga may be mentioned Niryukti by Bhadrabahu in about 367 gāthās, Tikā by Silänka (876 A.D.) and Dipika by Jinahamsa. Velankar has mentioned as many as thirteen commentaries.4
(ii) Sūtrakṛtānga:
Sutrakṛtānga, the second Anga, is later than Acārānga.5 It has two śrutaskandhas. Jacobi and Winternitz' agree in assigning the second śrutaskandha to a later period.
Niryukti by Bhadrabahu is the oldest commentary on Sūtrakṛtänga followed by Silānka's (876 A.D.) commentary on it. Then comes the Dipikā of Harṣapāla (1517 A.D.). Besides Niryukti and Curni, Velankar mentions seven more commentaries. As the purpose of Šūtrakṛtānga according to Samavāyānga, is 'to fortify young monks against the hererical opinions of alien teacher," it is but natural that it must contain, in the main, refutation of heretical sects. Amongst these heretical sects,10 the sects of Purāņa Kasyapa and Makkhali Gosāla are of special ethical interest.
(iii) Sthānanga:
Sthānānga is divided into ten sthānas. This anga contains 783 sütras. In the ten sthānas, each sthāna gives the name of such objects as can be divided into the same number of classes. The first sthana, for example, enumerates such objects
1. Kapadia, H.R., A History of the Canonical Literature of the Jainas,
P. 112.
2. Ibid., p. 114.
3. Max Müller, (ed.) SBE, Vol. XXII, Introduction. p. 43. 4. Velankar, H.D., (ed.), Jinaratnakośa, Poona, 1944, P. 23-24.
5. Max Müller (ed.), Vol. XLV, Introduction, p, XXXVIII. 6. Ibid., p. XXXIV.
7. Winternitz, M., A History of Indian Literature, Vol. II, p. 438. 8. Velankar, H.D., (ed.), Jinaratnakośa, p. 450-51.
9. Max Müller (ed.), SBE. Vol. XLV, Introduction, p. 38.
10.
Cf. Sen, Amulyacandra, Schools and Sects, in Jaina Literature, Calcutta, 1931. Also Vide supra. pp. 17-18.
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