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APPENDIX I
A NOTE ON STHĀNANGA AND SAMAVĀYANGA SÜTRA
Sthānanga and Samavāyānga are respectively counted as the third and fourth Anga-texts and hence are two of the most authoritative texts laying down the fundamentals of Jaina doctrine. However, barring negligible exception these texts discuss no problems but simply narrate as to what things are one in number, what things are two in number and so on and so forth, Sthänānga taking within its purview the numbers one to ten and Samavayānga the numbers one to one koţikoțisāgaropama (hence a slight repetition of the former's subject-matter in the latter). Now as things stood it was always possible and most easy to insert new material in the body of these texts and so the fact that a doctrine has found mention here is no proof that it is as old as some other standing nearby. (As for the concluding portion of Samavāyānga coming after the number one koţikoți sāgaropama has been dealt with it does not even fit within the general framework of the text and is thoroughly miscellaneous).
What seems to have happened is that the tradition of grouping things according to their number began early enough, so early as to justify the inclusion of two texts devoted to the problem among the eleven (or twelve) treated as most authoritative. And certainly texts like these were meant for an advanced student's use who would test with their help whether and how far he had been able to master the problems of doctrine. Veiwed in this capacity our texts must have been of no mean value. But they are important even otherwise. For the very fact that these texts have been able to carry out their specific task rather well speaks enough for the systematic character of the doctrines they were out to summarise. Thus they tell us most vital things about the Jaina view on the problems of the philosophy, ethics and mythology, (by the way, on those of astronomy, physiology, medi. cine and general culture). Indeed by the time these texts were finally compiled the Jainas had come to espouse certain very definite notions as to the problems in question and here we have these notions in a nut-shell. However, all this notwithstanding it will be pointless to base on these texts a study of how these notions evolved in the course of time.
What has to be done is to make an independent study of how the Jaina doctrinal views evolved historically and then see if Sthānānga and Samavā. Yanga throw some side-light on the same. Thus if certain views are proved to be a later growth and find mention here it will be possible to locate on the time-scale the relevant text-portions; similarly, if such views find no mention here the fact will again be of value though from a different angle.
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