Some Aspects of Jaina Narrative Literature (1/4)

Some Aspects of Jaina Narrative Literature

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Jainas have developed a rich literary activity at all the times. The majority of Jaina writers belong to the spiritual class; they are either monks who take advantage of the four months of monsoon (caturmāsa) during which they are not allowed to wander and must take up on their literary activity, or those who have settled down at a place. The character and the content of Jaina- literature shows the predominance of the clerical element among the authors, and this, incidentally, agrees fully with the Indian literature in general. These works are mainly theological and philosophical treatises, legends of saints, didactic works and laudations of the Tirthańkaras. The basic religious feature also emerges strongly in works having mundane contents, in books of science and poetry and works of narrative literature.

2.0 Tradition of Jaina Literature

According to the Jaina tradition, the teachings of the religion were recorded in the period of the first Tirthańkaras Ŗşabha himself; the Holy Scriptures always existed in the times in which the churches of the individual Tirthańkaras prospered. It is true that they were forgotten in the intervals (in between the periods of a few Tirthańkaras), during which the doctrine disappeared, but they were proclaimed again anew by every prophet. According to a tradition of the orthodox people which is propagated today, the holy scriptures from the period of all the Tirthańkaras should essentially agree with one another (as also the life stories of the Tirthańkaras in their important points), and only the names are supposed to vary in them.

Like the teachings of his predecessors, Mahāvīra’s teachings also have been recorded in certain works. His disciples, the Gaņadharas, brought them down to the posterity in 12 Ańgas of which the last consists of the so-called 14 “Pūrvas” (“earlier” works). According to one tradition, apostles are said to have brought the contents of the lectures of the Master at first in the 14 Pūrvas in a text-form and then worked them out into the Ańgas. The canon consisting of these and other works was faithfully preserved by the leaders of the community among the first followers of Mahāvīra. However, the parts of the canon fell into confusion with the time.

A council was called in around 300 B.C in Pataliputra, according to the tradition of Śvetāmbaras, to put together the canon anew. It was found in it that the last of the great Holy Scriptures, the so-called 12th Ańga, which comprised of the 14 works called Pūrva, were not any more in an authentic tradition. In spite of efforts this could not be saved. But the remaining holy works were preserved and they finally edited in the council of Valabhī (Gujarat) in the year after Mahāvīra under the leadership of Devarddhi and first time put down in script (till then, all the holy “scriptures” are said to have been committed only orally from teacher to pupil). The canon of Śvetāmbaras of today is according to their opinion, the corpus of work, which was fixed at time.

Digambaras agree with Śvetāmbaras that Bhadradāhu is considered to be the last teacher with knowledge of 14 Pūrvas. But according to them, the genuine canon is also forgotten. Subsequently the people who knew were few and finally only a fragmentary portion was written down by Puşpadanta and Bhutabali, in the year 683 after Mahāvīra. Since then, all knowledge about the doctrine proclaimed by Mahāvīra could not any more be derived from the Ańgas, but only from the works whose contents rest indirectly upon the lost canon.

While thus Śvetāmbaras boast to possess even today the genuine canon, albeit in incomplete form, Digambaras are of view that the canon is lost once for all and that the holy scriptures of Śvetāmbaras are not genuine; a collection of books written in a later period serve them as a guiding principle of their faith. They can be regarded as a “secondary canon” in view of the authority they enjoy.

2.1 The meaning of Jaina Āgama

The preaching of nirgranthas (niggantha pavayana), the teachings of Lord Mahāvīra and his disciples. Āgama is also known as Sutra, grantha, śāsana, jňāna, vacana, upadeśa,or pravacana. According to Śvetāmbara Jainas, the total number of authentic āgamas is now deemed to be 45. They are:

a. Eleven Āńgas:

1. Āyārańga,
2. Suyagadāńga,
3. Thāņāńga,
4. Samavāyāńga,
5. Viyāhapaņņatti,
6. Nyāyāyaddhmmakahāo,
7. Uvasagadasāo,
8. Antagadadasāo,
9. Anuttarovavāiya,
10. Panhavagaanaim,
11. Vivāgasuyam.

b. The Twelve Upāńgas (supplementry writings)

1. Ovavāiya,
2. Rāyapasenaijja,
3. Jivābhigama,
4. Pannavaņā,
5. Sūryapaņņtti,
6. Jambuddiva paņņtti,
7. Canda paņņtti,
8. Niryāvaliyao,
9. Kappavadimsiyāo,
10. Puphiyāo,
11. Pupphaculiāo,
12. Vanhidasāo.

c. The Ten Prakīrņakas

Those sacred treaties which have been accomplished on various topics of Jainism by learned seers.

d. The Six Chedasutta:

The Chedasutras contain the most ancient summaries of discipline to be observed by monks and nuns. Cheda means shortening, and the seniority was to be shortened of a monk or nun by way of punishment if a violation of a vow was committed.
They are:

1. Nisiha,
2. Mahānisiha,
3. Vavahāra,
4. Āyāradasāo,
5. Kappa,
6. Paňcakappa

e. Individual texts:

1. 1. Nandi
   2. Anuogadvāra

f. The four Mulasutras:

1. 1. Uttarajjayana,
   2. Āvassaya,
   3. Dasaveyāliya
   4. Pindanijjutti

The commentary literature of Jaina Āgamas consists of four parts:

1. Nijjutti,
2. Bhāşya,
3. Cunni,
4. Tikā.