A History of the Canonical Literature of the Jainas c10.3

c10.3

In every epoch, so to say, at least one prophet appears to have flourished in India and his sermon, to have served as a basis for explanation and elucidation to be indulged in, by his apostles and followers. To take a special case, according to the *Jaina* tradition, the Gaṇadharas compose *dvādaśāṅgīs*, and each of them teaches his own *dvādaśāṅgī* to his pupils. Consequently, while doing so, each must be offering some explanation or other, at least regarding knotty points. But, strange to say, there seems to be no record maintained regarding these explanations of the *dvādaśāṅgīs*. This state of affairs exists not only in connection with the *dvādaśāṅgīs* composed prior to the birth of Lord Mahāvīra, but also in the case of the 11 *dvādaśāṅgīs* composed by his own 11 Gaṇadharas.