Sambodhi 1998 Vol 21

Author(s): J B Shah, N M Kansara
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

Page 6

SOME NOTES ON THE TRANSMISSION OF THE AYĀRANGASUTTA*
Colette Caillat Some years ago, after the publication of Ayāranga-sutta in the J(aina) A(gama) S(eries) (2.1, Bombay 1977), Prof. D. D. Malvania drew my attention to the many critical notes and pāěhāntaras which are quoted by the learned editor, Muni Sri Jambuvijaya-ji. As is well known, Prof. Malvania himself had been interested in this sacred book, and has published some pages connected with this text (in Sramana 6.4 (1958), p. 3-6; also see Jaināgama Svādhyāya, Ahmedabad 1991, p. 43ff.). Until now, I did not have the possibility to go into a detailed investigation, but I hope to be able to do it soon'. I shall here try to give a summary of my personal observations and provisional conclusions. In the Foreward to his edition, Muni Jambuvijaya emphasises the importance of Āyar(anga), a treatise which "contains the essence of the preachings of Lord Mahāvīra". Nevertheless, curiously enough, the transmission of this sacred sūtra appears to have suffered from many disruptions — a situation which had not escaped the attention of the European scholars H. Jacobi and W. Schubring, and which again is detailed by Muni Jambuvijaya.
To make a long story short : as it is now, the Āyar is composed of 2 suyakkhandhas (śrutaskandhas). But, as a matter of fact, it is the first of these which is the real Ācāra, also known as Brahmacarya or Navabrahmacarya, because at first it had contained nine adhyayanas. As it happened, one of them, the Mahāparinna (-parijña) was completely lost in the days of Silānkācārya, and perhaps even before : the Cunni already states that it is not studied, na padhijjai. As for the second śrutaskandha, it is in the nature of “appendices” and forms the Ācārāgras, theoretically composed of five cūlas. But already the Nijjutti states that the fifth is the Nistha-sutta, which "will be commented upon later”, pañcama cula Nistha, tassa ya uvari' bhāsissāmi. In fact, this is because it had become an independant treatise which had been included in the Cheya-suttas (i.e. the section of the Canon concerned with discipline), though many of its aphorisms are, so to say, the exact counterparts of the Ayar, as can be seen from the numerous references and parallels given in the JAS edition.
This being the historical situation, it can be concluded that the Jain ācāryas have been, and are, accomplishing a considerable philological and critical work,
* (Text of the lecture delivered in the L. D. Institute of Indology on 2nd March 1996.)