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178
The Unknown Pilgrims
original composition which is sometimes earlier by two or three centuries. Certain of these texts are transcriptions of Agamas and are accompanied by a commentary.
- When the names of one or more well-known Sūris are quoted in connection with the name of the sădhvi in question, one manages to discover in what period she lived: In other cases one can assume that she was contemporaneous with the transcription.
- A great number of these sādhvis probably belonged to the Kharataragaccha, whether in Rājasthāna or in places very close to Gujarāta.
• Taking into consideration the nature of these texts, we may safely come to the conclusion that the sādhvis possessed a solid intellectual grounding, both in the doctrine and also in Prākrit and Sanskrit. They must indeed have been decidedly exceptional.
- The majority of them have a title which indicates their function within their group. Six were ganinis, at the head of a gana; two were pravartinis, at the head of a group that was probably less important than the gana; three were mahattarăs, which was title given, so it seems, to an aged and venerable sādhvi with a role that was both spiritual and administrative, 119 Here these few references are given in chronological order:120
-On Wednesday the 9th day of the bright fortnight of māgha (January-February) of saṁvat 1215 (1159), the manuscript [Svapnasaptikā, text and commentary) was transcribed with a view to its being studied by śāntamati Gaņini, disciple of Jinadatta Sūri.121
119 Cf. Deo, 1956, pp. 468-469.
120 The passages are given here as seems appropriate, either in word-forword translation or by a translation of contents based on the brief indications supplied by the Catalogue.
121 samvat 1215 māgha sudi 9 budhe pustikā likhitamiti Śrimat
Jinadattasūrisisinyāḥ śāntamatiganinyāḥ sajjhāyapustikā Śrih. Jesalmer
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