Life in Ancient India as Depicted in the Jain Canons, with Commentaries: An Administrative, Economic, Social and Geographical Survey c5.s9.9

c5.s9.9

Unfortunately after redaction of the Canons in these councils, Ācārya Skandila and Nāgārjuna could not get an opportunity to see each other and hence the two different versions of the Canons remained unreconciled. After one hundred and fifty years, in the year 980 (or 993) of Mahāvīra's death (i.e., 513 or 526 A.D) another council was convoked at Valabhī under the able presidentship of Devardhigaṇi Kṣamāśramaṇa in which all the important works of the Jains then available were written down⁷ In this council, as it has been pointed out, a serious attempt was made to reconcile the different readings of the two versions pertaining to the two councils. In cases where reconciliation was not possible, it was thought desirable to note the important variants either in the original *Āgamas* or in their commentaries In this council, however, the entire Jain canonical literature was written down according to the version of the Mathurā council, introducing the important variants generally by the words ‘*vāyanāntare punaḥ*’ (according to another version) or ‘*Nāgārjunīyastvevam vadanti*’ (the disciples of Nāgārjuna say so).⁸