A History of the Canonical Literature of the Jainas c8.14

c8.14

Jaina Sādhus with two attendants for every one of them, came to Nepal and tried to prosecute their studies. But all except Sthūlabhadra left the place as they could not face this situation.¹ He (Sthūlabhadra), too, could not completely master all the 14 *Puvvas* as for some reason or other Bhadrabāhusvāmin withheld the meaning of the last four *Puvvas* from him. Thus the meaning of the last 4 *Puvvas* got lost in *Vira Samvat* 170, the year in which Bhadrabāhusvāmin died. Later on, with the death of Sthūlabhadra, even the verbal embodiment of these four *Puvvas* came to an end, as he was debarred from teaching them to others.² Then, for some time at least, there flourished persons who were conversant with the first ten *Puvvas*, Vajrasvāmin being the last in the lot. After his *svargagamana*, there remained none who knew all the ten *Puvvas* in toto. Āryarakṣita Sūri³ who survived him, knew at least 9 *Puvvas* plus 24 *javiyas* of the 10th⁴