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thasūtra X.7 Bhãs ya lists 14 Pürvadharatva as one of the rddhis possessed by the performers of prthakat va and ekatva dhyānas which also include pada... vastu-pūrva-anga anusāritva. Likewise, the Āvasyaka Niryukti 69 includes Pūrvadharas in the list of the possessors of supernatural powers.?
(6)
The Tattvārthasūtra IX.39 mentions that the first two stages of śukla dhyāna are performed by the knowers of the Pūrva (i.e. Śrutakevalis, that is, 14 Pürvadharas according to the Sarvārthasiddhi IX.37) in the 11th and the 12th gunasthānas, and the last two stages of śukla dhyāna directly leading to mokşa are said in its IX.40 to be performed by Kevalis. This means that the achievement of kevala-jñāna-darśana is the sole condition for attaining liberation, for which the attainment for the knowledge of 14 Purvas is the prerequisite. The story texts in the Jaina canon, as a rule, follow this rule that the heroes achieve salvation upon fulfilling kevali-hood. And many heroes who are described to have mastered 14 Pürvas in these story texts are said to take birth in some deva lokas, obviously because they have not attained omniscience. Bhadrabahu is believed to have been the last 14 Pūrvadhara in both traditions, and Jambu is believed to have been the last Kevali in the Svetämbara tradition.
The Avas yaka Cürni (Ratlam, 1928), Pt. 2, p. 187 mentions that Sthulabhadra learnt 10 Pūrvas completely from Bhadrabahu, who taught the last 4 Pürvas to the former without delivering their meanings on the condition that these should not be taught to the others, and the last 4 Püryas were thus lost with the death of Sthulabhadra.
The following points can be drawn out from the major peculiar features mentioned above :
(A) Each Tirthankara is assigned to be the source of the Pūrva litera
ture as well as the Anga literature in his own Tirtha. In Mabavira's Tirtha, Mahāvira is therefore the source of 14 Pürvas and 12 Angas.
(B) The Pūrva involves itself with the karma doctrine, rddhis, kevala
jñāna-darśana and śukla dhyāna to be performed for achieving
7
D.D. Malvania : Ibid., p. 207.
96 JANTHOLOGY
