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The Anuttara Upapātika Sūtra
८२१
as "Antēvasis ". The words were uttered by Mabávira's first and most devoted Ganadhara, Gautama who was eager to know the future desting of each one of the great thirtythree souls. This is also significant. The monks studied at the feet of Mahavira and were his pets.
The actual text of the Sūtra is extraordinarily brief, although it is divided into three Vargas-art, comprising respectively ten, thirteen and again ten-37844a-lessons or studies. The result is that it avoids repetitions, and leaves the reader to gather information from the first lesson for all the remaining lessons. Being the niaeth in order, the Sūtra is anterior to Jñata, Bhagavati, etc. to which the reader is referred for the same subject.
Abhayadēva Sūri of the Chandra Gachcha and the disciple of Jinēshwar Sūri wrote a sanskrit commentary on this Sūtra. It is in. complete in the sense that it does not explain or transliterate each sentence of the text. The text and the commentary were published by the Āgamõdaya Samiti of Sürat in 1920 A. D. and by the Atmā. nanda Sabbá of Bhāvnagar in 1921 A D. Gujarāti translations also are available. The Jain Shaströddharaka Samiti of Rajkot published the text in 1948 A. D. with Gujarātī and Hindi translations and a full Sanskrit commentary with orthodox annotations by Mani Ghisalálji. How modest as commentator and exigist Abhayadēvs Sūri was can be gathered from the following verses which he gave at the end of his commentaries on this and the Vipāka fania Sūtras:--
इहानुयोगे यदयुक्तमुक्तम् , तत् धीधना द्राक् परिशोधयन्तु ।
नोपेक्षणं युक्तिमदन येन, जिनागमे भक्तिपरायणानाम् ।। Abhayadēva Sūri was ordained as monk in Vikrama Samvat 1088 at the age of ten years and he died in Vikram Samvat, 1135, at Kapadavanj, Khaira district, Gujarat. In the history of the exigesis of Jain Agamas, he is known as the exigist and commentator of nine angas. (Prabhāvaka Charita 261-272 in Abhayadeva Prabandha ).
Out of the thirty-three disciples referred to in the Sūtra, twenty were princes of royal blood, sons of King Shrēnika. Of these, seventeen were born of queen Dhāriņi. Their names were :
(1) Jali-T7 (2) Mayali-us (3) Upajali-39a (4) Purushasena-geraa (5) Varishena-aifào (6) Dirghadanta-ataka (?) Lashtadanta-gant (8) DirghaSona-etata ( 9 ) Mahasena-ngida ( 10 ) Gudha
