Jinamanjari 1998 09 No 18

Author(s): Jinamanjari
Publisher: Canada Bramhi Jain Society Publication

Page 54

Jinamañjari, Volume 18, No.2, October 1998
SAT-PRARŪPANA SŪTRA
(Enunciation of Existence) OF ĀCĀRYA PUSPADANTA (c.50-80 C.E.)
This is a English translation of the same title in Hindi edited by Siddhāntācārya Pandit Kailāschandra Shāstrī, Principal, Syadvad Mahavidyalaya, Benaras. The text was published by Shri Ganeshprasad Varni Granthamala, 1/128 Dumraonbag, Assi, Varanasi -5, India 29 May 1971. English translation is by Dr. N.L. Jain, Rewa, India. The entire Hindi text will be serialised in Jinamañjari beginning with this volume. The translator has attempted to interject modern view wherever found it relevant. This is our first attempt to present the work which is not available to the English speaking readers and scholars.
- Editor.
General Introduction The Şat-khandāgama (Six-Sectioned Canon) is one of the oldest aphorismic post-canonical Prākṣit texts in the Jaina system, belonging to Digambara tradition. Saint Dharasena (circa 156 C.E.) transmitted it to his two disciples Acārya Puşpadanta and Bhūtabali, who committed the teaching to writing during the years 614 to 683 M.E. (Mahavira Era), corresponding to 87 to 156 C.E. The First Section was composed by Ācārya Pușpadanta and the other five Sections were composed by Bhūtabali.
The work contains about six thousand long or short aphorisms in Saurasenī Prākṣit, influenced by Ardhamāgadhi, Maharāștri and other native dialects. While the origin of its content lies in pre-canonical and primary canonical texts, but it refers to the doctrine of karma as prevalent in the time of its authors. Almost all the texts have commentaries to facilitate the understanding of the aphorismic meaning. Of the many voluminous commentaries known to have been written on the Sat-khandāgama, only the Dhavalā commentary of Virasena (743 - 820 C.E.) is extant.
The Dhavalā commentary was composed during the Raāstrakūta empire in south India. The composition is said to have begun in year 792 C.E. and completed on the 8th of October 816 C.E. It contains an equivalent volume of 72, 000 verses, each having sixteen
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