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Life in Ancient India as Depicted in the Jain Canons, with Commentaries: An Administrative, Economic, Social and Geographical Survey c5.s13.t3: (3) Cūrṇi

Life in Ancient India as Depicted in the Jain Canons, with Commentaries: An Administrative, Economic, Social and Geographical Survey c5.s13.t3

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(3) Cūrṇi

c5.s13.t3.1

After *Bhāsa* comes *Cūrṇi*, an intermediate stage between the two periods, *Bhāsa* on one hand and the *Ṭīkā* on the other. *Cūrṇi* is an intermixture of prākṛt and Sanskrit languages pointing out an important era in the history of the Jain annals when by slow stages Sanskrit was taking the place of Prākṛt in the history of the Jain literature.

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The following *Āgamas* contain *Cūrṇis* :—

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(1) *Āyāra*, (2) *Sūyagaḍa*, (3) *Viāhapannatti*, (4) *Jīvābhigama*, (5) *Jambuddīvapannatti*, (6) *Nisītha*, (7) *Mahānisīha*, (8) *Vavahāra*, (9) *Dasāsuyakkhandha*, (10) *Kappa*, (11) *Pañcakappa*, (12) *Oha Nijjutti*, (13) *Pañcamangalasuyakkhandha*, (14) *Jiyakappa*, (15) *Uttarajjhayana*, (16) *Āvassaya*, (17) *Dasaveyāliya*, (18) *Nandi*, (19) *Anuogadāra* and (20) *Pakkhıya Sutta*⁵¹. Out of these a very few *Cūrṇis* have seen the light of day so far. Some of them have been edited by Muni Ānandasagaraji from Rutlam. A cyclostyled copy of the *Nisītha Cūrṇi* available in some of the Bhandaras and Libraries, has been edited by Ācārya Vijayaprema Sūrisvara, which is utilised in the present thesis. Most of the published *Cūrṇis* are ascribed to Jinadāsagaṇi Mahattara.⁵² Out of the available *Cūrṇis* the *Āvassaya* and *Nisītha* are most important as they contain a most valuable treasure of information from the point of view of Jain history and culture. The *Nisītha* refers to Ārya Kālaka, a contemporary of king Sālivāhana of paiṭṭhāna, who proceeded to Persia (*Pārasakūla*) and returned with ninety kings (*Sāha*) to take revenge on king Gaddabhilla of Ujjeṇī, who is said to have abducted Kālaka’s sister and kept her in his harem. The *Āvassaya Cūrṇi* records a tradition of flood in Sāvitthī after thirteen years of which Mahāvīra attained *kevalahood*⁵³. It also refers to important kings and princes contemporary to Mahāvīra and various other traditions. The *Cūrṇis* are also important from the point of view of philological studies.

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⁵¹ See H R. Kapadia, *op. cit.*, p 190.

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⁵² The *Āvasyaka Cūrṇi*, according to Leuman, belongs to 600 650 A.D. (Schubring, *op. cit.*, p. 60), *cf.* a verse from the *Manusmṛti* (IV 85. also *Mahābhā*. XIII. 141. 19) is quoted in the *Ācārānga Cūrṇi* (p. 97), also from the *Pratijñāyauganadharāyaṇa* (3 9) of Bhāsa (Poona, 1937) in the *Āvasyaka Cūrṇi* II, p 162).

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⁵³ Cf. also the same tradition recorded in the *Maccha Jātaka* (Vol. I, No. 75).

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