Scientific Contents in Prakrta Canons

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

Page 58

36 : Scientific Contents in Prākrta Canons
seem to have developed later, per chance by the second council in Mathurā or Valabhi, many of pro-canons are also compilations as no author is mentioned for most of them. It is nearly by the beginning of the Christian era that we begin finding names of authors of many books in the above list. Linguistical Period of Canonical Composition
The Jaina canons and pro-canons as available today are composed in Ardha-māgadhi, Sauraseni and Mahārāştri Prāktas. These languages represent different periods of their development. Thus, the literature composed in these languages should also have different periods of compositions. The basic Jaina canonical literature covers a period of roughly one thousand years after Mahāvira. This is the literature which will be taken into account for the purpose of this study. It must be added, however, that the Buddha Tripitakas were collected and written much earlier than the Jaina canons. Hence, linguistically they represent better antiquity. Classification of Sruta or Jaina Canons
(a) Angas and Pūrvas and (b) Primary and Secondary Canons.
The basic Jaina Sruta or Agama is in the form of twelve sacred books called Nirgrantha Pravacana ( Sermon of the Jaina Saints ) in canonical books. The earliest part of the first two holy books mention the terms 'Sruta, Śrutadharma, Srutasthavira, śrutakevali, Śrutadhara', but they do not have any description about Jaina śruta. Despite naming 14 Pūrvas in chapter 14, even Samavão, chapter 2 and 12 do not mention the Sruta variety. Strangely enough, it describes their contents in its miscellany. Bhagavati also makes a confusing reference about eleven Angas and 14 Pūrvas beginning with Sāmāyika (Ācārānga 122. However, the later compendium of Sūtrakrtānga (2.1.35) mentions 12 Angas and Sthānānga (2. 104 ) mentions the two-way Sruta classification alongwith ten synonyms of Drștivāda. These later additions suggest that the classification