Vaishali Institute Research Bulletin 4

Author(s): R P Poddar
Publisher: Research Institute of Prakrit Jainology & Ahimsa Mujjaffarpur

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Vaishali Institute Research Bulletin No. 4
In the context a man well-versed in many and various arts, languages etc. can only suitably be described to possess the knowledge of the aforesaid nine fold angas of the scriptures. As the Ardha-Māgadhi Angas have not been classified into nine sections, the commentators had to adopt the strained interpretation. But the term has the greatest possibility of having been adopted under the influence of the usage in Pāli. When a man is already described to have grown young and adept in so many arts and languages, it seems inconsistent to refer to his limbs' awakening after remaining inactive so long. The perfection of sense-organs can form the preliminary stage of the development of so many subtle tendencies and capacities after the attainment of which sensuous perfection becomes insignificant and in a way is merged into the subtler perfections of human capabilities.
Thus the commentators interpretations of the word do not smoothly fit into the context. It is a strain on the text. So prime-facie there is a cause to question the correctness of the above interpretations.
If we concede that there has been frequent overlappings in Pāli and Ardha-Māgadhi literatures, and such instances are not wanting, it is not very difficult to get at the exact denotation of some of such words here and there. Thus the term 71 yaftatag' can straightway be interpreted as at 77 gfaatti, and treated as a case of a terminology borrowed into the Jaina tradition from the Buddhist one.
Books used :
1.
TROTTOIHF Edited by Pt. Bechardas Jivaram Doshi, Ahmedabad, V. S. 1994. Raya paseniyasutta-Edited and translated by R. C. Tripathi, Ahmedabad, 1936.