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Shri Mahavir Jain Aradhana Kendra
Acharya Shri Kailassagarsuri Gyanmandie
www.kobatirth.org
Kalpar sutra.
Introduction
It briefly recounts the older Acāryas, who helped in the propagation and preservation of the Jain Faith. The names of these Acaryas have to be remembered by the devout Jainas on the day of the Parvan for the sake of acquiring merit and also for strengthening their faith and devotion. Sthavirāvali in its present form extends upto the name of Devardhigani, who is generally admitted as the editor of the Jaina Agamas and among them also of the Kalpasūtra. It is however, very probable that the Sthavirávali of Devardhigani extended only upto Vajrasena, Padma and Ratha, the three pupils of Vajra. The 14 Gathas that follow hereafter, must have been added by subsequent Acāryas, who had rightly recognized the purpose of the Sthavirávali, namely the revival of the holy memory of the important preachers of Jainism on the I occasion of the Parvan. That this was the purpose of the Sthaviravali is also fully kaown to our
commentator Samayasundars, who, at the end of the Sthaviravall, briefly narrates the lives of many more recent Jain Acaryas, as they also must be regarded as the Sthaviras; cf. cfarreirava sfarzarurat :
af erfarer er det nat teed # Thas he gives a brief account of Aryarakṣita, Věddhavādin, Siddhasena, Haribhadra, Bappabhatti, Pädalipta, Malayagiri, Hemacandra, Ratnaprabha, Mänadeva, Manatunga, Abhayadeva, Devendra, Vadivetāla, Santi Sûri, Jivadeva, Vadi Devasúri and remarks at the end : quate प्रभावकपुरुषाः श्रीजिनशासने जातातेपि स्वविरावलीमान्ते वाच्याः ॥'
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