________________
56
FOREWORD
nor is it uniform. Having dealt with the objects that are hundred in number, it deals with objects that are 150 in number upto those that are e kasagaropamakoţikoți in number. This is followed by a brief description of the twelve Anga works; then there occurs the treatment of categories, viz. jiva (soul), ajiva (non-living substances), etc. as also the account of kulakaras, tirthankaras etc. Thus the Samavāyangasūtra describes various objects. In his commentary on the Samavāyāngasūtra, Abhayadevasūri has employed the term 'sthånaka' for the literary division of adhyayana. Usages like 'ā dvisthanakasamăpteh', 'catuhsthanaka','pañcasthānaka' are found in the commentary. We have followed Abhayadevasűri in this matter.
Subject-matter : This work treating of various topics propounded in the Jaina scriptures compares well with an encyclopedia. Hence one can have the proper idea of its subject-matter from the Visayānukrama (Content). In fact, one can properly know the subject-matter only through the study of the work.
OUR CRITICAL METHOD OF EDITING We have primarily endeavoured to decide correct readings on the basis of various manuscripts belonging to more and more remote periods of time. Cogent and correct readings have been accepted in the body of the text while other notable variants, correct and corrupt, are recorded in foot-notes. Wherever two correct readings are available, one is accepted in the body of the text and another is recorded in a foot-note as a variant. As for example, take the reading viyattakicce occurring on p. 102, line 14. It is available in 5 1. But 78 yield the reading ciyattakicce while go , yield the reading vi (ci ) yattakiccapãyacchitte. All these readings are correct. Hence we have selected one of them and accepted it in the body of the text and recorded the remaining readings as variants in foot-notes.
Of so many readings available to us, we have mostly accepted in the body of the text those that have been accepted by Abhayadevasūri, the author of the Vșttis. Hardly have we accepted the reading different from the one accepted by him, as on p. 445, line 9.
We accepted some wrong readings by mistake during the printing of the text. Afterwards we realised our mistake. Hence in Appendix viii or in the Suddhipatraka we have corrected our mistake by giving correct readings there. As for instance, the reading abbh(jjh?)atthie has been accepted by us in the body of the
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
