Theories Of Parinama

Author(s): Indukala H Jhaveri
Publisher: Gujarat University

Page 99

Jain Sources
and unauthoritative collection of works brought together by Jincandra in Valabhi at a far later date.11
vow and learned the fourteen Pūrvas; but he was forbidden to teach more than the first ten of them to others as a penalty for misusing them. Thus the first compilation of the canon took place in Pätaliputra during the time of Candragupta Maurya who is assigned 299 B.C.i. e. the beginning of the 4th cent. B. C. or the end of the 3rd cent. B. C.
Now owing to another famine in the year 827 after the death of Mahavira (i. e. about 4th cent. A.D.) when all the sacred lore was again in danger of becoming obsolete, another council of monks was convened at Mathură under the guidance of Ācārya Skandila in order to collect the scriptures and arrange them in an orderly way. Synchronous with this, Ācārya Nāgārjuna did the same work of collecting the sacred texts by convoking a council of monks at Valabhi, but unfortunately as these two Ācārvas, Skandila and Nāgārjuna could not meet, there remained certain differences in some of the readings, allusions to which can still be found in the commentaries.
The well-known final council presided over by Devardhigaội was 'held at Valabhi, 150 years after the councils presided over by Skandila and Nāgārjuna at Mathurā and Valabhi respectively. (i.e. in the beginning of the 6th cent. A.D. or 980 years after the death of Mahāvira). Devardhi prepared his final version of the Jain canon with the aid of the written texts as well as the memory of the monks who had assembled at the council. The twelfth Anga containing the *Purvas, as said above, was already missing by this time and that is why we find only eleven Angas in the recension that has come down to us. It may be noted that Devardhi followed mainly the version of "Skandila. The latter's readings were accepted in toto and where the readings of Skandila and Nagarjuna differed, Devardhi tried to reconcile them as far as possible. Most important differences were, however, retained by giving them, in the Mula-sūtra, i.e. the text as also in the "Ţikā and Cūrņis' (For details CF “Vira Nirvāṇa Samvat and Jain kāla-gañana" by Muni Kalyāṇavijaya-p. 688 onwards). Thus the redaction by Devardhi represents the canon in the present form which forms the earliest source of information about Jain religion and philosophy. This is the Svatāmbara tradition regarding the present Jain canon. Cambridge History of India, Vol. I. *Even the Digambaras admit that the first disciples of Mahāvira knew
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