Dr. Samani Mangal Pragya
It is the eighth text among dvādaśāṅgī text. In Sanskrit, it means 'to put an end'. Hence, that text which depicts the life of people who have reached to the end of worldly life and attained liberation is called as Antakṛt or Antakṛta. It has ten chapters; hence, daśa word is used at the end.
Samavāyāṅga has referred to ten chapters and seven groups of this text.[1] Nandī states its eight groups.[2] Nandī Cūrṇī expresses that the first group has ten chapters and seven groups. Considering the ten chapters, this text is called as Antakṛtadaśā.[3] The text that is available today does not contain all the ten chapters and seven groups as Samavāyāṅga refers to. The eight groups as stated in Nandī are available at present. The daśā word in the title also denotes the 'condition' in addition to number 'ten'.[4]
Tattvārtha vārtīkā describes that it presents the biography of ten-ten omniscients who have put an end to their worldly life during the presence of tīrthankara.[5] Jayadhavalā also asserts the same fact.[6]
Contents
We get descriptive information on Vasudeva Krishna and his family in this text. Gajasukumal was Krishna's younger brother. There is a heart-throbbing description of his initiation and practice of spiritual austerities.[7]
Sixth group speaks about the incident of Arjunamalākāra. This incident portrays a clear understanding of how external situations cause changes in the inner world of emotions of a person. Arjunamālākāra becomes a murderer due to the adverse situations and again external favourable situations transform him into a monk. There is an equal importance of the instrumental cause (nimitta) similar to the substantial cause (upādāna). This incident highlights this truth. In this āgama, there is also a description of aspirants like Atimuktaka etc. with elaborate description about penances.
