Scientific Contents in Prakrta Canons

Author(s): N L Jain
Publisher: Parshwanath Vidyapith

Page 55

Prākrta Canons : 33
the Sruta and their field automatically gets limited to those subjects not amenable to senses or intellect. Had this Akalanka version of Sruta been taken into account, we would have a better co-ordinated outlook regarding the balance between faith, reason and scientificity and the darker age of blind faith could be avoided and we could stand the contemporary thought processes for better knowledge. Amar Muni?, Svami Satyabhakta's and other Jaina thinkers have suggested on these lines during the later half of this century. Authors of Canons or Scriptures
It is clear from the above that the scriptures contain moral, religious or supra-sensual subjective instructions given by the all-knowing passion-winners or Jinas. They communicate them through divine speech which are organised by their chief disciples known as Ganadhāras and put in the language of common man ( known as Ardha-māgadhi during Mahāvira's period) in the forms of Sūtras or Granthas. They are explained to common man by them or later scholars. These basic sūtras are termed as physical canons. In addition to these, ascetics and scholars of different periods have also written a large number of authentic perceptual treatises. These are termed as procanons, canon-like, neo-canons or neo-āgamic texts. Some of this literature is quite old even belonging to third-fourth centuries B. C. Some of this literature may be quite later as much as 600 A. D. Many scholars presume all this literature as authentic as the canons themselves.
It is, however, found that Lord Mahāvira is described as omniscient in early Jaina literature (Acārānga, 2 a later composition than 1, Satkhandāgama-Payadi ) though Buddhists dispute about it. It is this characteristic that led to his authenticity. His chief and remote disciples following him have placed their credibility of their compositions on his authority.
Kundakunda has defined (Niyamasāra, 158 ) omniscience from real and ideal ( practical point of view. It is only the self which is known in full reality by the omniscients. Thus,