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Some Jaina Canonical Sutras c6: Chapter I: Jaina Canon

Some Jaina Canonical Sūtras c6

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Chapter I: Jaina Canon

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The Jain literary records developed through centuries and by stages. It is difficult to say that the Jain canon belongs to one particular period as the works belonging to it are of different ages and origins. The sacred books of the Jains underwent considerable changes with the result that some works or portions of works were added to the canon from time to time. The words of Mahāvīra, the celebrated founder of Jainism, were handed down by an oral tradition which took a complete literary form through ten centuries from his demise. Up to a certain date this tradition was known in the form of the fourteen pūrvas, which themselves presuppose the existence of an earlier ten that had embodied the religious tradition of Pārśva and formed a common basis of the Jaina and Ājīvika canon. That the pūrvas were gradually lost may be accounted for by the rise of the sacred books of the Jain canon—the siddhānta or āgama by way of compilation from time to time. The process of compilation passed through several stages when it was stopped on account of the preparation of a final redaction of the canon at the council of Valabhī under the presidency of Ārya Devarddhi-gaṇi in 454 or 467 A.D.¹

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¹ Jaina Sūtras, SBE, Pt I, Intro, p xxxvii

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The occasional references to the texts representing the various divisions of the said canon seem to suggest a stratification of the aṅgas, upāṅgas and the rest and a chronology of their gradual development.

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There was a stage when the twelve aṅgas were known and acknowledged as the only authoritative Jain sacred books. According to the tradition of the Jain Church the twelfth anga called the Dṛṣṭivāda² has been lost. But even the loss of this aṅga may be accounted for by the compilation of other books on its basis. Practically speaking nothing has been lost. The Sūtrakṛtāṅga (II, 1.27) expressly refers to the twelve aṅgas as forming the canon of the Jains, ‘which has been taught, produced, and declared by the Śramaṇas, Nirgranthas, namely the Ācārāṅga (all down to) the Dṛṣṭivāda’.

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² This text deals chiefly with the dṛṣṭis or diṭṭhis which are nothing but the philosophical views of the Jains and other schools as the title suggests.

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There are the sacred texts which were venerated as *maitthāna* (*mātṛsthāna*, matrices)¹ precisely as the Buddhists held the five *Nikāyas* as *mātukā* or matrices of their canon² Jacobi wrongly equates *maitthāna* with *māyāsthāna*³ The twelve *aṅgas* were no doubt the matrices or fundamental bases of the Jain *Siddhānta*. Jacobi holds that the first book of the *Ācārāṅga* and that of the *Sūtrakṛtāṅga* may be reckoned among the most ancient parts of the *Siddhānta*. He further holds that the Vaitālīya metre used in the Pāli *Dhammapada* represents an older stage in the development of the Vaitālīya than that in the *Sūtrakṛtāṅga*.⁴ Regarding the *aṅgas* it may be shown that Ardha-Māgadhī which is the literary idiom developed in them is younger than Pāli of the Buddhist canon preserved in Ceylon. Instances of parallelism between Jainism and Buddhism may be cited as well as of the influence of the latter on the former. Such epithets of Mahāvīra as Buddha, Tathāgata, Sugata, and Sambuddha are borrowed. *Jina*, *Arhat*, *Tīrthankara*, *Vīra*, *Mahāvīra*, *Vaiśālika*, *Nirgrantha*, the great *Brāhmaṇa*, the great *Śramaṇa* and the like are the Jain specials among the titles of Vardhamāna

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¹ *Sūtrakṛtāṅga*, I, 9 24 *Mātṛsthāna* is also explained as *Karmopadāna-sthāna*

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² *Cf Indian Culture*, Vol I, pp 107ff, for the meaning of *mātukā*

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³ *Jaina Sūtras*, II, p 304, f n 3

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⁴ *Ibid*, I, Intro, p xli.

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Sīlaṅka and other Jain commentators have tried to clear up allusions in the ancient Jain texts to the prevailing views, beliefs, and practices by means of systems and doctrines of the Sāṅkhya, the Vedānta or the Buddhist Śūnyavāda philosophy. Similar allusions to these very views, beliefs and practices in the Pāli canonical texts suggest no doubt a much earlier stage of Indian religious thought which was imperfectly understood by the Jain scholiasts. The safer means of distinguishing between earlier and later matter in the Jaina *aṅgas* consists in the side-lights that may be gathered from the Pāli *Nikāyas* but not from the speculations made by the Jain scholiasts who flourished long after Mahāvīra or his immediate disciples. The Jaina *aṅgas* are the main set of texts upon which we can safely rely but the Pāli *Nikāyas* are no doubt of great help in corroborating the Jain evidence. The books of the Jain canon clearly show that the terminology and exposition of Jaina thought had developed by stages.

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The older parts of the canon contain many archaic forms. The older prose works generally abound in endless repetitions but some contain systematic expositions. Originally there were two kinds of Jain sacred books: the fourteen pūrvas and the eleven aṅgas. The fourteen pūrvas were reckoned to make up a twelfth aṅga called the Dṛṣṭivāda. The knowledge of the fourteen pūrvas remained up to Sthūlabhadra, the eighth patriarch after Mahāvīra. For some time only ten pūrvas were known and then the remaining pūrvas were gradually lost. This is the Śvetāmbara tradition regarding the pūrvas. The fact is that the pūrvas existed prior to the composition of the aṅgas.

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The importance of the early Jain literary records furnishing materials for an all round history of India from the sixth century B.C. to the beginning of the Christian era has already been carefully discussed. The chronological position of Jainism has now been made sufficiently clear. The difficulty arose from the fact that the Jaina canon belonging to the Śvetāmbara sect was finally closed as late as the sixth century A.D. The earlier literary traditions in the shape and form of the fourteen pūrvas were gradually lost beyond recovery. How far and in what forms the Jain canonical texts which are now available preserve in them the contents of the pūrvas is still a big problem. The Jain tradition would have us believe that the fourteen pūrvas were condensed in the twelfth aṅga known as the Dṛṣṭivāda which is unfortunately lost. We have still a very imperfect knowledge of the canonical texts of the Digambaras. The important text called Ṣaṭkhaṇḍāgama of Puṣpadanta and Bhūtabali has been recovered from the Kanarese country in south India. Di. Hiralal Jain thinks that in it we have not only an important canonical book of the Digambaras but also a later representation of the subject-matter of the Dṛṣṭivāda. Another very ancient and exhaustive work on Jain cosmology called the Tiloya Paṇṇatti has been published under the auspices of the Jīvarāja Jaina Granthamālā. The later Jain tradition preserves the name of the Ājīvika canon consisting of eight mahānimittas and two mārgas which are partially at least based upon the pūrvas coming down from the time of Pārśva, the illustrious predecessor of Mahāvīra. The texts now included in the Śvetāmbara Jain canon contain evidence of literary, religious and philosophic development of more than ten centuries. It would not have been possible to form any idea of this chronology of thought but for many interesting instances of parallelism between the Buddhist and Jain canon. As rightly pointed out by Jacobi, Jainism in its earlier phase was a presupposition of Buddhism in spite of many parallel passages occurring in the two traditions. A good comparative study of the contents of early Jain and Buddhist texts as has been done to some extent in this treatise will surely be very useful although we have now broad outlines of literary history of Jainism and Buddhism

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The sacred texts of the Jainas known as the āgamas, which are collectively called the siddhāntas, are forty-five in number They may be divided as follows.

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(I) Twelve Angas —(a) Āyāramga sutta (Ācārānga sūtra), (b) Sūyagadamga (Sūtrakṛtānga), (c) Thānamga (Sthānānga), (d) Samavāyamga, (e) Bhagavatīvīyāhapanṇattī (Vyākhyāprajñapti), (f) Nāyādhammakahāo (Jñātādharmakathā), (g) Uvāsagadasāo (Upāsakadaśā), (h) Amtagadadasāo (Antakṛddaśā), (i) Anuttarovavāyadasāo (Anuttara-upapātikadaśā), (j) Panhāvāgaranāim (Praśnavyākaraṇāni), (k) Vivāgasūyam (Vipāka-sūtram), and (l) Diṭṭhivāya (Dṛṣṭivāda)

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(II) Twelve Upāngas.—(a) Ovavāiya (Aupapātika), (b) Rāyapasenaīja or Rāyapasenaīya (Rājapraśnīya), (c) Jīvājīvābhigama, (d) Pannavaṇā (Prajñāpanā), (e) Sūrapannattī or Sūriyapannattī, (f) Jambuddīvapannattī (Jambudvīpaprajñapti), (g) Camdapannattī (Candra-prajñapti), (h) Nirayāvalī, (i) Kappāvadamsiāo (Kalpāvatamsikā), (j) Pupphiāo (Puṣpikā), (k) Puppha cūliāo (Puspacūlikā), and (l) Vanhidasāo (Vṛṣṇidaśā).

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(III) Ten Prakīrnakas (Painnas) —(a) Causaraṇa (catuḥśaraṇa), (b) Āurapaccakkhāṇa (Ātura-pratyākhyāna), (c) Bhattapariṇṇā (Bhakta-pratijñā), (d) Samthāra, (e) Tamdulaveyāliya, (f) Camdāvijjhaya, (g) Devimdatthaa, (h) Gaṇivijjā, (i) Mahāpaccakkhāṇa, and (j) Viratthaa

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(IV) Six Ceya suttas (Ceda sūtras) —(a) Nisīha, (b) Mahānisīha, (c) Vavahāra, (d) Āyāradasāo, (e) Kappa (Bṛhatkalpa), and (f) Pamcakappa.

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(V) The two solitary texts —Nandīsutta and Anuogadāra These two sūtras have no common name

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(VI) Four Mūlasuttas.—(a) Uttarajjhayana, (b) Āvassaya, (c) Dasaveyāliya, and (d) Pimdanijjutti.

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Of the twelve angas, Jain philosophy has been dealt with in the Āyāramga sutta and Panhāvāgaranāim. Doctrinal and other matters have been discussed in the Sūyagadamga Mahānimittas, monism, pluralism (anikkavāda—Thānamga, IV, 4), eternalism, materialism, etc., form the subject-matter of the Thānamga. The Viyāhapaṇṇatti not only throws light on the life of Mahāvīra but also discusses other topics. Persons belonging to any school of Jain thought will find the Nāyādhammakahā very useful. A picture of ancient social life has been given by the Uvāsagadasāo. The Aṃtagadadasā gives an account of persons who became siddhas after death and the Anuttarovavāiyadasā, of the lives of persons who became gods after their death in the Anuttaravimāna. Names of some tribes and planets are found in the Paṇhāvāgaraṇa. That the good and bad deeds done in previous births have their respective influences, has been dealt with in the Vivāgasuya. Some narratives too are found in the same anga.

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The twelve upāngas too deal with various subjects from philosophy to astronomy, geography to biography. The Uvavāiya gives an account of various attainments and penances of the Jaina saints. A fine literary piece by itself, the Rāyapasenaiya deals with the intricate problem of the identity of soul and body through the dialogue between Paesi and Kesi. The very essence of Jainism can be found in the Jīvājīvābhigama. The Jain philosophy has been dealt with in the Paṇṇavaṇā. Astronomy from Jain standpoint has been well treated in the Sūrya-paṇṇatti and Canda-paṇṇatti. The Sūryaprajñapti (Sūryapaṇṇatti) is the most important astronomical book of the Jainas. It is written in Jain Prākrit and divided into twenty sections. The arrangement of the matter is not systematical. There is a commentary on the text by Malayagiri. The astronomic-chronological period on which the system of this text is based, is the well-known quinquennial cyclo with which we have long been acquainted from the Jyotiṣa Vedānga. The same cycle is also described in the Garga-Sāṃhitā. As regards the revolutions of the sun and the moon according to the Sūrya-prajñapti it differs from the statements made by Garga and the Vedānga only in one important point. According to it the cycle begins with the summer solstice at the moment when the moon is full in the beginning of Abhijit and the sun consequently stands in Puṣya. As regards the sun's motion in circles of different diameter the text treats of the increase and decrease of the length of the day. It also contains a long exposition of the dimensions of the circles. It adds an interesting account of the sideway-motion of the sun. It also records an account of the motion of the moon, etc. Dr. G Thibaut has written an interesting article on it in the J.A.S.B. (Vol. xlix, pp. 107–127; 181–206). The Jambud-divapaṇṇatti is an interesting treatise on geography. It should be studied along with the Jaina *Vividhatīrthakalpa* which is not included in the canon. The lives of Kāla, ten sons of Seṇiya and others have been narrated in the *Nirayāvalī*. Of the *Prakīrnakas* the *Causaraṇa* consists of 63 verses in Prākṛit dealing with the six essential daily duties and four refuges. Its authorship is ascribed to Vīrabhadra The *Gaṇivijjā* is a work on astrology. Of the six *Ceya* suttas, the *Nisīha* serves as a guide to the Jain monks and nuns as it contains rules governing their life The relationship between the preceptor and his disciples has been discussed among other things in the *Mahānisīha*. The *Vavahāra* discusses what the Jain saints should avoid and what they should undertake. The qualities of an *ācārya* and an *upādhyāya* are also noted in it. Of the *Mūlasuttas* the *Pimdaṇijjutti* deals with the pious life and subjects of discipline Bhadrabāhu was its author. Besides these a detailed treatment of some important texts of the Jain canon has been made in the following pages

Cites (43)