Studies in the Bhagavati Sutra

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

Page 67

STUDIES IN THE BHAGAWATI SÜTRĄ [Ch. II “The total number of the middle feet in the Angas is one hundred twelve crores, eighty-three lakhs, fifty-eight thousands and five (112,83,580.05)".
The Bhs, was gradually developed and it attained its present extent of 15,750 granthāgra, 1,84,000 Padas, as it is evidenced by the fact of the reference to the Mahāyugmas just before the number of 84,000 (eighty four thousand) Padas of this canonical work as mentioned in the Samavāyānga Sūtra and also evidenced by the different proportions of the single Satakas, giving the impression of comprising later additions.
Thus it is found that the Satakas—the first to eight, twelfth to fourteenth and eighteenth to twentieth consist of ten Uddeśakas each; the ninth and tenth of thirty-four Uddeśaka: each, the eleventh of twelve Uddeśakas, the fifteenth without Uddeśaka, the sixteenth of fourteen Uddeśakas, the seventeenth of seventeen Uddesakas, the twenty-first of eighty Uddeśakas (i.e. 8 vaggas having ten Uddesakus each), the twenty-second of sixty (i.e. 6 vaggas containing ten Uddeśakas each), the twenty. third of fifty (5 vaggas with ten Uddeśakus each), the twentyfourth of twenty-four Uddeśakas, the twenty-fifth of twelve, the twenty-sixth to thirtieth of eleven each, the thirty-first and thirty-second of twenty-eight each, the thirty-third and thirtyfourth of one hundred and twenty-four each, the thirty-fifth to thirty-ninth of one hundred and thirty-two, the fortieth of two hundred and thirty-one and the forty-first of one hundred and ninety-six Uddeśakas respectively.
This canonical work gives a "detailed exposition of the doctrine of Sramana Dharma leading to Beautitude and it is the most important of all the sacred religious texts of the Jainas containing 36,000 questionsin forty-one Satalcas most of which are put in the mouth of Gautama Indrabhūti and the rest in those of other followers of Lord Mahāvīra, like Agnibhūti, Vayubhūti and others, those of the followers of Lord Pārsvanā. tha's order, like Gāngeya, Kālāsavesiyaputta, those of the other
1 BKS, (Comm.) 1, 1, 2,