Sacred Literature of Jains

Author(s): Ganeshchandra Lalwani, Satyaranjan Banerjee
Publisher: Jain Bhawan

Page 10

SACRED LITERATURE OF THE JAINS
These statements are, it is true, obscure, yet become clear by means of verse 434,8 which they are designed to explain. According to this verse, all three statements are valid merely for the interval between the Jinas. Their significance is as follows:
At the time of Usabba all twelve angas were extant; between Jinas. 1.9 only the first eleven; between Jinas 9-16 all twelve were lost; and under or between Jinas 16-24 they were all extant. The twelfth anga was however lost again after Jina 24.
Though these statements appear to establish the fact that the 12 angas are said to have existed as early as the time of Usabha, never-- theless it becomes perfectly plain, from a consideration of their nature, that this claim rests upon an insufficient foundation, The commentator characterizes the degree of the vucchea during the jinamtaras, which existed between Suvihi, to Saṁti, as follows: arhaddharmavārttā 'pi tatra naştā ; a peculiar testimony, we may remark in passing, to the result of the activity of each of the seven saints 9-15.
In reference [213] to the vucchea of the twelfth anga i.e. the diţthivaa) which happened again after Mahavira, we have additional information derived from tradition. .
The fourteen so-called pūrvāni, cf. Hem. 246-247, which, according to the statements handed down to us, formed a part of this anga and which Mahāvira is said to have transmitted to all his pupils (though only one of these, Sudharman by name, transmitted them to a pupil of his own, Jambū, the last Kevalin) are said to have existed for only six generations longer. In consequence of this the six patriarchs in question, namely : Prabhava 3, Sayyambhava 4, Yaśobhadra 5, Sambhūtivijaya 6, Bhadrabāhu 7, and Sthulabhadra 8, had the honorary title of Śrutakevalin, or cauddasa puvvi (in the Nandis.), caturdaśapārvadhārin, pūrvin.'
The following seven patriarchs : Mahāgiri, Suhastin. to Vajra (Hem, v. 35), knew only ten of the whole number, inasmuch as tradi
8 It runs : purinamt ima-atthaddha (atthattha !)-'mtaresu (caturvimśat es tirthakr
tam trayoviñsatir evāmtarāni bhavanti) titthassa na 'tthi voccheu/majjhillaesu sattasu ittiyakalam tu voccheu /4341/. Dr. Leumann informs me that the source of these statements is found in Bhagavati, 20.8; cf. also Avasy, 3, 16: padhamassa (jinassa) bārasangan, sesānikkāras aigasualambho. 9 Cf. Hem. 33-34 : Comm. p 293 in Böhtlingk-Rieu.