Some Jaina Canonical Sutras

SR No.: 011033
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Bimla Charn Law
Publisher: Royal Asiatic Society
Publication Year: 1949
Total Pages: 229
Language: English
Classification: Book_English, Agam, & Canon
File Size: 24 MB

Page 57

CHAPTER VIII
UPĀSAKADAŠĀ (U'VĀSACADASÃO)
The Urāsagadasão (Urāsagaddasāu or U gruīsa kudaśās) is the seventh anga. It contains ten chapters (ajjhayanas) dealing with the legends about the ten upūsukus or pious householders who by means of asceticism obtained moksa
mancipation. The legends are all told after a stereotyped pattern in the most monotonous inamner as rightly pointed out by Winternitz. This text has been edited with the Sanskrit commentary by Abhayadeva Sūri and translated into English with notes by Hoernle in the Bibliotheca Indica Series. The Acamodava Samiti has also published an edition of this text with Abhayadeva Sūri's commentary. Leumann (Wiener Zeitschrift für die kunde des Jorganlandes, 3, 1889) and Barth (Revue de l'histoire des Religions, Paris, 19, 1889) have carefully studied this text which contains mostly narratives. An elaborate metrical version of the contents of this anga in Prākrit is available. The whole work seems to have been compiled for devotional purposes. It furnishes us with materials which give a vivid picture of the social life of those days. It contains the stories of pious householders who became lay adherents, the wealthy potter named Saddālaputta, who was at first a follower of Makkhali Gosāla, but afterwards went over to Mahāvīra, and Kundakoliya whose faith in Mahavira remained unabated.
In the Uvāsagudusão (Lecture I) we find that Vāņiyagāma or Vesāli was ruled by Jiyasattu. Vesāli and Videha were ruled by Codaga, the maternal uncle of Mahāvīra. The same text refers to the site of an ancient shrine called Gunasila in the neighbourhood of Rājagsha (VIII, 231). The Kālasilā was perhaps no other than what is called the site of Guņasīlacaitya in this text. The settlement of Kollāga and the village of Bālaka at some distance from Nālandā were places that became scenes of early actions of Gosāla, the leader of the Ajivikas, who met Mahāvīra first in Rājagěha.
There was a Jaina temple outside the town of Vāniyagāma which bore the name of Duipalāsa in the north-easterly direction.
1 Uvāsagadasão, Hoernle, App., pr. 1-2.
2 Hoernle, Uvāsagadasão, I, p. 2. Vaniyagā massa nayara88a vahiyā utturapuratthime disibhāe Dui palāsac nāmam ccic.