Life in Ancient India as Depicted in Jain Canons

Author(s): Jagdishchandra Jain
Publisher: New Book Company

Page 35

THE CANONS OF THE JAINS
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and 840 after the death of Mahāvira (i... 360-373 A.D) another council was summoned at Mathurā under the presidentship of Arya Skandıla. We read in the Nandt Cūrni (p. 8) that during the time of terriblc famine which lasted for a very long time it became difficult for the monks to obtain their alms, and so they were unable to continue the study of the scriptures and consequently a great portion of the canon was lost. In course of time, after the famine came to an end, a council was convened at Mathurā and whatever could be gathered from different monks, was collected and was fixed in the form of the Canon known as Kāluyasuya. According to another tradition, however, no Canon was lost during this period, but except Arya Skandıla most of cminent monks, versed in the Agama Anuyogadharah) had lost their lives. This is known as the Māthuri version (vācanā) of the Canons.
Simultaneously, another council was summoned at Valabhi under the presidentship of Nāgārjuna Sūri in which the Canons were fixed and what was forgotten was compiled after careful edition This fact is corroborated by the statement in the Fyotışkarandaka Tīkā (p. 41) where it is stated that in the time of Skandıla there was a terrible famine when the Jain monks had to discontinue their studies. Later on, at the end of the famine, one Sangha met at in Valabhi and another at Mathurā. According to Malayagiri, the author of the Fyotrskarandaka Tiki, Anuyogadvāra and other Canons are based on the Māthuri version, whercas the Jyotiskaranda on the Valabhi. This is known as Valabhi version (vācana) of the Canons.
Unfortunately after redaction of the Canons in these councils, Acārya Skandila and Nagarjuna could not get an opportunity to see each other and hence the two different versions of the Canons remained unreconciled. After one hundred and fifty years, in the year 980 (or 993) of Mahāvira's death 26, 513 or 526 A.D) another council was convoked at Valabhi under the able presidentship of Devardhugani Ksamāšramaņa in which all the important works of the Jains thicn available were written down? In this council, as it has been pointed out, a serious attempt was made to reconcile the different readings of the two versions pertaining to the two councils. In cascs wlicic icconciliation will not possible, it was thought desirable to note the input lant Velllants cithici in the original Agamas or in their commentarics In this council, however, the entire Jain canonical literature was written down according to the version of the Mathurā council, introducing the important variants generally by the words 'vāyanāntare puna' (according to another version) or "Nāgārgunīyāstvevam vadanti' (the disciples of Nāgārjuna say so).
6 Kathavalt, 298 after "Vir Nuvāna" etc., pp rol
8 Cf. the Buddhist Councils held at Rījagaha, Vesāli and l'ālalıputre in order to establish a Canon of the religion and of the discipline of the order , see H Kein, Manual of Indian Buddhtsm, pp. 101ff. The last council was held in the reign of King Ayoka in the third century
B.C.
1 According to Hemacandra, however, the canons were actually written down in the form of books (pustakşsu nyastam) in the last two councils (yogasasita 3. p. 206 a).
& Sce "Vura Nuryāng' etc., pp. 112-118.