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Dittbivisabhāvarā into five sections: (1) Parikamma, (2) Sutta(2), (3) Puvvagaya, (4) Aņuoga, and (5) Culiya. These were further divided into various sub-sections. It was permitted to be taught to a monk of nineteen years' standing. It required sixteen years to receive this text and twelve years to revise it.? It was in the time of Bhaddabāhu(1) that there occurred a twelve yearfamine. This seriously affected the study of the monks and resulted in their forgetting some portions of Ditthivāya. This fact came to the knowledge of the monks when they assembled in Pádaliputta after the famine had disappeared. Thereupon a batch of five hundred monks went to Bhaddabāhu who was in Nepāla at that time to learn Diţthivāya, since he was the only person who was then in a position to remember and teach it. All but Thūlabhadda left the place as they could not face the situation there. Thūlabhadda, too, however, could not completely master even all the fourteep Purvas, i.e. the Puyvagaya section, as Bhaddabāhu withheld the meaning of the last four Puvvas from him, because of some default on the part of the latter. Later on, with the death of Thulabhadda, even the verbal embodiment of these four Puvvas came to an end, as he was debarred from teaching them to others. Since then the knowledge of Puvvas went on decreasing. It was by V. N. 1000 that all the Puvvas got forgotten and thus, Diţthivāya became extinct.'
According to the Digambara tradition also Bhaddabāhu(1) was the last Caturdašapūrvadhāri. Višākhācārya etc. were conversant with ten Puvvas only, the last being Dharmasena (V. N. 345). Thereafter the knowledge of Puvvas went on decreasing and Dharasena is said to be the last one who was conversant with two Puvvas only. Some say that after Sudharman only partial (ekadesiya) knowledge of Puvvas was available and no one know completely. See CLJ. pp. 74-75; Kasāyapāhuda, I, Int. p. 48, Mathura, 1944.
Ditthivāya' literally means 'exposition of doctrines.' This indicates that the real contents of Ditthivāya consisted of an exposition as well as refutation of different doctrines. It has ten significant names : Ditthivāya, Heuvāya, Bhūyavāya, Taccāvāya, Sammāvāya, Dhammāvāya, Bhāsāvicaya, Puvvagaya, Aņuoga and Sayvapāṇabhūyajiyasattasuhāvaha.10 On account of their importance the Puvvas or the Caturdaśapūrvas as a whole are known as Ditthitāya.11 5. Nan. 57, Sam. 147, NanCu. pp, 71ff. | 8. AvaCu. II. p. 187, Tir. 701ff., Kalpv.
NanH. p. 85, NanM. pp. 238ff., I p. 253. AvaCu. II. p. 247, Sam. 46.
9. Jams. p. 2, Tir. 809. 6. Vya. 10.32.
10. Sth. 742. 7. VyaBh. 4.564-5.
| 11. Sth. 742, Kalpv. p. 187, See CLJ. p. 8. Ditthivisabhāvanā (Drstivisabhāvanā) A text permitted to be taught to a monk of seventeen years' standing. It is not extant now. 1. Vya. 10.31. Muni Manek's edition mentions eighteen years' standing. See Vya(M). 10.33.
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