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120 THE CANONICAL LITERATURE OF THE JAINAS selected few only-the few who were not going to misuse them. As the number of these persons slowly and slowly became less and lees owing to the vicious period we are passing through, according to the Jaina tradition, it naturally brought about the extinction of the ajjhayanas in question. As regards the rest, it appears that they must have fallen into oblivion owing to the lack of interest on the part of those who had to study them.
This finishes the exposition about the extinct Āgamas whose number will go on increasing so much so that only four of them will exist up to the end of the present tīrtha, and thereafter they, too, will perish, and thus there will remain no Āgamas whatsoever, till a new epoch will dawn with the flourishing of Tarthankaras in India when the dvādasāngīs etc. will be again composed. So sáys the Jaina tradition.
1 Out of them, Dasaveyaliya will be available only in meaning. 2 "वासाण सहस्सेण य एकवीसाए इहं 'भरह'वासे । दसवेयालियअत्थो दुप्पसहजईमि नामिहीति ॥५०॥"
"इगवीससहस्साई वासाणं वीरमोक्खगमणाओ। अव्वोच्छिन्नं होही आवस्सगं जाव तित्थं तु ॥ ५२ ।। इगवीससहस्साई वासाणं पीरमोक्खगमणाओ । अणुभोगदार-नंदी अव्वोच्छिन्नाउ जा तित्थं ।। ५३॥"
-Titthogāli as suggested in Vividhapraśnottara (n. 188 )
