Life in Ancient India as Depicted in Jain Canons

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

Page 39

THE CANONS OF THE JAINS
of the Canons do not correspond to the table of contents referred to in the Thănânga, Samavāyānga or Nandı.81 For instance, according to the Nandı,8a the Nāyādhammakahà contained three crores and a half padas (apparently an exaggeration), whereas at present it contains only twenty chapters. The commentator finding himself at a loss to explain this simply refers to some old tradition on the matter. The same thing can be said regarding the number of padas of the Bhagavati.93 Then the Panhvägarana does not correspond either to the title of the work or to the table of contents as stated in the Thānănga24 or the Nandr.25 Like the Panhavagarana, the Antagadadasāo and a major part of the Anuttarovavāryadasão also seem to have lost their texts since their present contents do not tally with those recorded in the commentary on the Thānānga.as The names of the characters in the stories arc quite different ; and its explanation given by Abhayadeva is the diffcrence of vacană. The same incongruity is recorded regarding the Niryāvalı Srutaskandha.97 Then, we are told about the Jambuddīvapannattı, a portion of which is restored with the help of the fivābhigama and other Canons. 38
Besides these modifications and interpolations in the Agamas, certain Canons or parts of the Canons have become totally obsolete, and perhaps there is no possibility of their being restored now. We have already seen that the Ditthuvāya was missing from the time of Sthūlabhadra. Then Mahāparinnā, the seventh chapter of the Acārāng, does not exist any more; Dogiddhidasă and a portion of the remaining nine Dasās referred to in the Thānanga 29 are extinct now; the Pascakappa is not available and some works of Kaliya and Ukkaliya Suya referred to above are lost. Then some portion of Mahānisiha and of the Painnās is missing Besides, we do not see any traditional chronological order in the Canons pertaining to priority or posteriority of their compilation. On the other hand, the references to the Agamas which are considered of late origin are found in those which are said to belong to the early period. For instance, the Suyagadanga refers to Uvavārya 30 and the Bhagavali to Pannavanā, 31 Fīvābhigama, 31 Jambuddīvapannattı, 33 Rāyapasenijja, 34 Uvavārya,85 Nandı, 30 and Anuogadāra.37
II Cf the remark of Abhayadeva, Bhag IP 10, Bechardas ed , also see Akalanka s Rägavärlika, P 51
11 Malaya Ti su. 51, P 2300 f. 23 See Bechardas, Bhag IV, Introduction, p. 20 24 10, p 4840 25 Malaya Ti Sū 55, P 233a f. 36 10, p 482a 17 rbid, p 485a 18 Jambu 2, p 2178. 28 10, 4840 30 II, I p. 275a.
sonce and in Ndio +