Sambodhi 1998 Vol 21

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

Page 7

COLETTE CAILLAT
SAMBODHI
a task for which the path has thus been traced since many centuries, and which has to be continued, though with the respect due to all sacred books. This is how I came to be highly interested in the considerable data adduced by Muni Jambuvijaya concerning the “traditions of readings" accepted by the authors of the Cunni on the one hand, and of the Vrtti on the other hand. Curiously, though the text of the first Śrutaskandha is often very difficult to follow, it is in the words of Jacobi) "like a sermon made up of quotations..., fragments of verses and whole verses which are liberally interspersed in the prose text"; the two versions differ only slightly. On the contrary, as Muni Jambuvijaya shows, "in the second Śrutaskandha the versions differ widely...especially from the tenth chapter onwards2". Muni Jambuvijaya adds : "The tradition of readings followed by the author of the Cunni is much older and better than the one followed by the author of the Vịtti. The version which we now find in different mss. is mostly in consonance with the tradition of readings followed by the author of the Vrtti." Consequently, whatever their personal preferences, the editors cannot but follow the tradition reflected in Śīlānkācārya's Tīkā. This is what has been done, rightly, by Muni Jambuvijaya himself.
It seems to me that the differences are of the following sort :
(1) Some grammatical variants, which are not extremely numerous and do not alter the meaning of the teachings : they need not be considered at this stage;
(2) differences in the length of various developments;
(3) differences in the order of some of the developments.
The two last points will be considered here, following Muni Jambuvijaya's critical notes, which, as far as the Cūrņi's tradition is concerned, are based not only on the difficult, sometimes obscure and allusive, text of the AyarC itself, but on the authoritative AvaśyakaCūrni.
Differences in the length of various developments will be considered first. Examples can be taken from the third Cula, named Bhāvanā, a title which, in fact, refers to the second part of this lecture; as for the first part, it concerns the life of Lord Mahāvīra, that serves as an introduction to his fundamental teaching, viz. the 5 mahāvratas, with their 5 times 5 bhāvanās or reinforcing "clauses" (thus, altogether 25 bhāvanās). Towards the end of the first part, the next summarizes the ascetic life which Lord Mahāvīra had led during twelve years with these words: