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KARMA
special treatises dealing with the subject of the eternal laws of Karmas, great and small, and the present volume of Kammapayadi occupies a very high place among them.
PREFACE,
PRAKRITI.
CASOSANSSICS
The present Kammapayadi was composed by Shivasharma-Soori in about 475 stanzas (Gathas). It is an excerpt from the Karmapraváda Poorva. Jains believe in the fourteen Poorvas, voluminous expositions of miscellaneous Jain literature all of which are now extinct. Karmapravada ] is said to be the tenth of those fourteen Poorvas, the revered Shivasharma Soori appears to have extracted the original 475 stanzas therefrom. With the present means of knowing historical facts, it is not possible to give the exact date of this highly talented Soori, the composer or extractor of this book; but circumstantial evidence leads one to suppose that he belongs to a very early period. He can be safely said to have flourished before the fifth century A. D. as the name of the present book Kammapayadi has been mentioned in the Sthavirávali of Nandisootra, one of the original Agamas at the time of the redaction of all the Âgamas by Devardhigani Kshamåshramana at Vallabhipura in the year 456 A. D. (corresponding with the year 980 Veera and 510 Vikrama). This great saint Devardhigani took great pains in the task of redaction in the fourth century and the fact of translation being historical is very useful in fixing dates of authors who flourished previous to the said important era in the Jaina literature. As the name of the present treatise has been clearly mentioned in one of the books translated under the personal supervision of Devardhigani Kshamashramana, himself
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