Samavayangasuttam

Author(s): Ashok Kumar Singh
Publisher: B L Institute of Indology

Page 22

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Śvetāmbara texts, while from the commentaries of Tattvärthasutra, Dhavala and Jayadhavalā among Digambara commentaries.
Samavāyāngasūtra
Nomenclature & Content: The fourth Anga of the 'Dvādaśāngi, 'samavāya', 'association, group, consists of very heterogeneous theme. The substances, soul-non-soul etc, have been put into divisions or brought down properly in this canon, therefore, the title 'samavão'. This text treats of the similarity of the soul etc. (jīvādi) substances hence, called the 'samavão'.
According toNandisūtra1s it deals with the description of soul-nonsoul (jiva-ajiva), universe-non-universe (loka-aloka) and (jina doctrine (svasamaya) as well as heretic doctrine(parasamaya), the evolution of number beginning from one to hundred and the account of the Dvadaśängi. It is remarkable that both the texts Samavānga and Nandi mention the increase one by one (ekottarika vṛddhi) up to hundred, but surprisingly omit the multiincreasing (anekottarika vṛddhi). But Abhayadevasūri1 mentioned the ekottaravṛddhi alongwith anekottaravṛddhi. Evidently, he discussed on the basis of available text of Samavāyānga.
The title suggesting the treatment of topics arranged in samavāyas in numerical order, herein, represents only its portion, though a major one. The whole text may, broadly, be divided into two groups: (A) topics arranged in samavāyas according to numerals and (B) those treated outside samavāyas. The former may be, further, sub-divided into (i) the theme associated with numerals one to hundred and placed in samavayas, increasing in successive order and (ii) that associated with multi- increasing numerals and not arranged in samavāyas. The sūtras outside samavāyas may further be classified into three groups: (i) on the the subject-matter of the twelve Anga texts Acārānga, etc. (ii) on various Jaina tenets and (iii) related with the sixty-three great men of Jaina tradition, e.g governors (kulakaras), Seers (Tirthankaras), universal monarchs (cakravartins), Baladevas, Vasudevas, Prativāsudevas etc.
The topics treated in samavayas from one up to hundred, placed in a particular samavāya, mostly represent the actual respective number but at times