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Life in Ancient India as Depicted in the Jain Canons, with Commentaries: An Administrative, Economic, Social and Geographical Survey c5.s8: Classification of the Canons

Life in Ancient India as Depicted in the Jain Canons, with Commentaries: An Administrative, Economic, Social and Geographical Survey c5.s8

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English

Classification of the Canons

c5.s8.1

Suyanāna or scriptural knowledge, otherwise known as Siddhānta or Āgama consists of the twelve Angas, twelve Upāngas, ten Painnas, six Cheda Sūtras, Nandī and Anuyoga and four Mūla Sūtras¹. These scriptures form the canon of the Śvetāmbaras alone and are disowned by the Digambaras. Out of this subsidiary canonical literature with the exception of the Angas, the lists and the titles of the texts are not always uniform. The number of the Painnas, for instance, is very indefinite and varies to a great extent. Sometimes Nandī, Anuyogadāra and Pañcakappa are placed at the head of the Painnas. The traditional number of books in the Siddhānta is forty five (Drstivāda being lost), but the number of texts mentioned in various places varies between forty five and fifty.²

c5.s8.2

¹ (i) The twelve Angas (1) Āyāranga Sutta (Ācārānga Sūtra), (2) Sūyagadanga (Sūtra-kṛtānga), (3) Thānānga (Sthānānga), (4) Samavāyānga, (5) Bhagavatī or Viāhapannatti (Vyākhyāprajñapti), (6) Nāyādhammakahāo (Jñātādharmakathāḥ), (7) Uvāsagadasāo (Upāsakadaśāḥ), (8) Antagadadasāo (Antakṛddaśāḥ), (9) Anuttarovavāiyadasāo (Anuttaraupapāṭukadaśāḥ), (10) Panhavāgaranāim (Praśnavyākaraṇāni), (11) Vivāgasuyam (Vi-pākaśrutam), (12) Diṭṭhivāya (Dṛṣṭivāda)
(ii) The twelve Upāngas or "secondary limbs" (1) Ovāiya or Uvavāiya (Aupa-pātika), (2) Rāyapasenaīja or Rāyapasenaīya (Rājapraśnīya), (3) Jīvābhigama, (4) Pan-navanā (Prajñāpanā), (5) Sūrapannatti or Sūriyapannatti (Sūryaprajñapti), (6) Jambud-divapannatti (Jambudvīpaprajñapti), (7) Candapannatti (Candraprajñapti), (8) Niryāvalī, (9) Kappavaḍamsiāo (Kalpāvataṃsikāḥ), (10) Pupphiāo (Puṣpikāḥ), (11) Pupphacūliāo (Puṣpacūlikāḥ), (12) Vaṇhidasāo (Vṛṣṇidaśāḥ)
(iii) The ten Painnas (Prakīrṇas) or "Scattered pieces" (1) Causaraṇa (Catuḥśaraṇa) by Virabhadra, (2) Āurapaccakkhāṇa (Āturapratyākhyāna), (3) Bhattapariṇnā (Bhaktaparij-ñā), (4) Samthara (Saṃstara), (5) Tandulaveyāliya (Taṇḍulavaitālika), (6) Candavijjhaya, (7) Devindatthava (Devendrastava), (8) Gaṇivijjā (Gaṇividyā), (9) Mahāpaccakkhāṇa (Ma-hāpratyākhyāna), (10) Viratthaa (Vīrastava)
(iv) The six Cheya Sūtras (Cheda Sūtras) (1) Nisiha (Niśītha), (2) Mahānisiha (Mahā-niśītha), (3) Vavahāra (Vyavahāra), (4) Āyāradasāo (Ācāradaśāḥ) or Dasāsuyakkhandha (Dasāśrutaskandha), (5) Kappa (Kalpa or Bṛhatkalpa), (6) Pañcakappa (Pañcakalpa) Instead of the last-named the Jiyakappa (Jitakalpa) by Jinabhadra is also mentioned
(v) Individual texts (1) Nandī or Nandī Sutta (Nandī Sūtra), (2) Anuyogadāra (Anu-yogadvāra).
(vi) The four Mūla Suttas (Mūla Sūtras) (1) Uttarajjhaya (Uttarādhyāya) or Utta-rajhayana (Uttarādhyayana), (2) Āvassaya (Āvaśyaka), (3) Dasaveyāliya (Dasavaikālika); (4) Pinda Nijjutti (Piṇḍa Niryukti) The third and fourth Mūla Sūtras are also sometimes given as Oha Nijjutti (Ogha Niryukti) and Pakkhi (Pākṣika Sūtra), and sometimes the Piṇḍa Nijjutti and Oha Nijjutti appear in the list of the Cheya Suttas (vide Winternitz History of Indian Literature, Vol II, p 428ff). Cf also Nandī (Sū 431) where the canonical works are divided into Angas and Angabāhiriyas (texts standing outside the Angas) or Angapaviṭṭha (belonging to the Angas) and Anangapaviṭṭha (not belonging to the Angas). The former is further divided into twelve Angas or also known as Gaṇipiṭaga The latter is divided into Āvassaya and Āvassayavairitta The former is sub divided into six whereas the latter into two, viz. (1) Kāliya and (2) Ukkāliya. The Kāliya and Ukkāliya have various divisions, out of which large number of works are not available at present

c5.s8.3

² Cf the list of the eighty four Āgamas consisting of 11 Angas, 12 Upāngas, 5 Cheya suttas, 3 Mūla suttas, 30 Painnagas, 2 Cūliya suttas, Pakkhiya sutta, Khamana sutta, Vandittu sutta, Isibhāsīya, Payosanakappa, Jiyakappa, Jaiyiyakappa, Saddhajiyakappa, 10 Nijjutis, Piṇḍa Nijjutti, Samsatta Nijjutti and Visesāvassaya Bhāsa (H. R. Kapadia, The Canonical Literature of the Jainas, p. 38).

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