________________
Arya Bhadrabahu
now lost", of the Church of Arhat Pärśva rather than of Arhat Vardhamana and adopted for the composition of the Kalpa. Bhadrabähu, it must be remebered, knew by heart the Pürva texts of the Church of Arhat Pärśva as per the tradition.
Looking now at the mode of expression of the Vyavahära, it is, in point of fact, and visibly, different from that of the Kalpa, although Bhadrabāhu is claimed to be the author of both the works. It also largely differs from the style of the agamas of the first three phases". Moreover, the Vyavahāra, both in style and content, is heterogeneous in character, with chapters possibly of differing dates, details, and perceptions74.
123
The text of the Kalpa as well as that of the Vyavahära conceivably may have been modified at a few places and augmented or added to, or subtracted at some points of time in the past, a possibility which cannot be ruled out. Since both works also were included in the sacred treatizes of the Yāpaniya Sect, it may be concluded that they already were known and recognized as an authoritative part of the canon before the 2nd cent. A.D. in the Northern Nirgrantha Church". Supposing it can be established that the earliest portions of the two texts are indeed datable to the Maurya period, it would then raise some serious questions :1) Was Bhadrabahu their author? 2) If he were, did he lean toward the monastic discipline of the Church of Parsva or, alternatively, did he sanction generous concessions for accommodating the mendicants and nuns of the Church of Parsva who, assumably, may have been progressively joining the Church of Arhat Vardhamana ? Since, as is believed in the tradion, he had mastered the 14Purvas-arguably the āgamic books of the Pārsva's sect-there is a possibility that he was fully conversant with the Pārsvian monastic disciplinary code and, as a result, may have been influenced by it. If this surmise is accurate, it may, in turn, compel us to revise our views on Bhadrabahu. The present discussion perhaps opens a door to what seemingly is an entirely unsuspected and uncharted area of investigation". Of course, it will all depend on the definitive evidence, besides. the presently known post-Gupta tradition, that the Kalpa and (the parts of) the Vyavahara were authored by Bhadrabahu.
The third work, namely the Daśāśrutaskandha olim Acaradaśā, both from the standpoint of style and content, is far more heterogeneous in composition and in content: and, for the style of a few of its chapters,
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
