Studies in the Bhagavati Sutra

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

Page 44

Sec. II]
STUDIES IN THE BHAGAWATI SUTRA
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another and partially the Karikas which are placed at the beginning to serve as a general introduction or incorporated in the middle or subadded at the end."
The linguistic characteristics of these redactory statements can easily be distinguished from that of the text. Many additions of secondary stories may have been incorporated into the Karikas, while some passages or sections which were extant at the time of the older commentaries may have been lost, but large interpolations have also been made into the texts. It is clear from the study of all the canonical works that they have undergone a great transformation most likely, as it is evidenced by the fact that the BhS had not yet attained the half of its present size containing 1,84,000 padas, at the time of the Samavayanga Sutra which records only 84,000 padas of the fifth Anga instead of the above number of its padas.
The allusions to certain stereotyped descriptions, "the epithet ornantia' and the so-called Vannao (Varņaka) are to be assigned without doubt to the period of redaction of all the canonical texts at the Vallabhi Council. So the fifth Anga itself has suffered some losses in all probability in course of time and its form of words has equally undergone transformation to some extent.
The Bhs holds a separate position in its relation to the other canonical works and commences in a characterized way. It bears one point of similarity with the Nāyādhammakahão in regard to the Karikas which state the contents of what is to follow in each larger section, e. g. Gaha "Usasa khaṁdae vi ya 1 samugghāya 2 pudhavim 3 diya 4 anna-utthi-bhasa ya 5 Deva ya 6 Camaracamca 7 Samaya 8 khitta 9 atthikaya 10 bîyasae".
In the BhS the sections have the title saya (śataka) instead of Ajjhayana as it is found in the cases of the other Angas. The title 'Pannatti' of Viyahapannatti attributed to this canonical work, bearing some resemblance with those of the
1 Bh8, 2nd Sataka.
Ib, 1, 1, 11; 1, 1, 14.