Mahavira and his Teaching

Author(s): C C Shah, Rishabhdas Ranka, Dalsukh Malvania
Publisher: Bhagwan Mahavir 2500th Nirvan Mahotsava Samiti

Page 194

LORD MAHĀVĪRA AND THE ANYATĪRTHIKAS
J. Deleu
In the introduction to my critical analysis of the Viyāhapannatti! I have pointed out the significance of the stray fragments dealing with the refutation of anyatīrthikas2 that have come down to us in this remarkable work. In my opinion the chief interest of these texts is in the fact that they give us the answer, or at least the Jaina answer, to the question which were the oftenest and most ardently disputed tenets proclaimed by Lord Mahāvīra, consequently which of these tenets did, in his day, rival teachers hold to be his most characteristic, original and personal doctrines. The 2500th Mahôtsava of the Lord's Nirvāṇa is, I think, a festive occasion to reflect on the meaning of these texts.
Refutations of tenets3 held by the anyatīrthikas are found in Viy. I 94, 101-2; II 51.7; V 31, 52, 65, VI 101.3; VII 101; VIII 74, 101; XVII 22–3; XVIII 71.4, 82. References to the dissidents are, of course, found in several other canonical works too, but there, more often than not, they bear upon the attitude Jaina monks are expected to assume regarding such adepts of another creed4. Exceptions to this rule are Thāņa (ed. 1937) 129b and Jivābhigama (ed. 1919) 142b. 1. The AUTHOR Viyahapannattı (Bhagavai), the Fifth Anga of the faina
Canon. Introduction, Critical Analysis, Commentary and Indexes (Brugge, 1970),
p. 38 seqq. 2. AMg annautthiya (seldom annatitthiya) or parautthiya, S. R. PISCHEL,
Grammar par. 58. The numbers refer to the sayas, uddesas and further subdivisions of the text as analysed by the author, o.c. Infra, for convenience sake, I will also quote the page numbers of the Agamôdaya Samiti edition of the Viyahapannatti. Thus for instance in Nisiha, s. W. SCHUBRING and C. CAILLAT, Drei Chedasūtras des Faina-Kanons (Hamburg, 1966), p. 96
187
4.