Studies in the Bhagavati Sutra

Author(s): J C Sikdar
Publisher: Research Institute of Prakrit Jainology & Ahimsa Mujjaffarpur

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PREFACE
The BIS (Viyahapannati, Skt. Vyākhyāprajitapti) is one of the most important works of the Arddha-Māgadhi literature of the Jaina Canon, largest in volume and encyclopædic in its contents covering various aspects of Jaina Philosophy and History in the form of dialogues between Lord Mahāvīra and his disciples. This work has not so far been exhaustively studied from the literary, historical and philosophical points of view, although Weber, Jacobi, Winternitz and other scholars made brief appraisal of it in course of their reviews of the Jaina canonical literature. It throws important light upon many problems of Indian History and Thought by revealing various aspects of them, such as, political, social and economic conditions, education, different religious systems, the Jajna tradition, nature of faith and preconditions and mythological figures before Lord Mahāvīra, contemporary history, cosmology, cosmography, evolution of Jaina Philosophical Thought, etc. A critical study of the book was a desideratum and I have attempted in this thesis prepared for the Ph. D. degree of the Bihar University, to fulfil the want in my humble way.
The thesis has been divided into eleven chapters. The first chapter deals with the position of the Bhs in the Arddha-Magadhi Canon and its relation to the other canonical works. It reveals that this text is a mine of varied contents treasured in a consolidated form, as found in all the works put together, convering all aspects of Sramaņa-Nirgrantha-Dharma and its philosophy. It shows that the BIS is integrally connected with the other canonical works and occupies the highest position in the Arddha-- Māgadhi Canon.
The second chapter treats of the authorship and date of this canonical work and makes a brief analysis of its contents, language and style. It is revealed here that in the first stage the BHS along with the other canonical works, was derived