Antakruddasha Ki Vishay Vastu Ek Punarvichar - Book Summary

This document, titled "Antakruddasha ki Vishay Vastu Ek Punarvichar" (A Reconsideration of the Subject Matter of Antakruddasha) by Prof. Sagarmal Jain, critically examines the content of the Jain Agam scripture known as Antakruddasha. The author traces the evolution of its subject matter and discusses the discrepancies between ancient and current versions, drawing upon various Jain texts.

Here's a comprehensive summary:

1. Antakruddasha's Position in Jain Agamas:

Antakruddasha is the eighth Anga (limb) of the Jain Agamas.
It is mentioned in the Sthananga Sutra as one of the ten "Dasha" (states or conditions).
Information regarding its subject matter is found in Shvetambara Agamic literature (Sthananga, Samvayanga, Nandisutra) and Digambara traditions (Rajavartika, Dhavala, Jayadhavala).

2. The Current Form of Antakruddasha: The current Antakruddasha is divided into eight classes (vargas):

First Class: Contains ten studies, including Gautam, Samudra, Sagar, Gambhir, Stimita, Achal, Kampilya, Akshobha, Prasanjit, and Vishnu.
Second Class: Contains eight studies: Akshobha, Sagar, Samudra, Himavant, Achal, Dharan, Pooran, and Abichandra.
Third Class: Lists thirteen studies, primarily related to princes like Aniyasa Kumar, Anantasena Kumar, etc.
Fourth Class: Contains ten studies, including princes like Jali Kumar, Mayali Kumar, Pradyumna Kumar, Sambha Kumar, etc.
Fifth Class: Features ten studies, eight related to Krishna's chief wives and two to Pradyumna's wives. Most individuals in the first five classes are related to Krishna's family and lived during the reign of Arishtanemi.
Sixth Class: Has sixteen studies, including Makai, Kikum, Mudgarpani, Kashyap, Kshemak, Dhritidhar, Kailash, Harichandan, Varta, Sudarshan, Punyabhadra, Sumabhadra, Supratishthita, Meghakumar, Atimukta Kumar, and Alakka (Alakshya) Kumar.
Seventh Class: Lists thirteen studies, mostly female names like Nanda, Nandavati, Nandottara, Maruta, Sumruta, Mahamruta, Bhadra, Subhadra, Sujata, Sumanaika, and Bhutadatta.
Eighth Class: Mentions ten wives of Shrenika, including Kaloka, Sukali, Mahakali, Krishna, Sudarshana, Veerkrishna, Ramkrishna, Karma Senkrishna, and Mahasenkrishna.

The author notes that among these, only Kikum and Sudarshan from the sixth class bear the same names as mentioned in the Sthananga, while most others are different.

3. Ancient References to Antakruddasha's Subject Matter:

Sthananga Sutra: This text is the first to mention the subject matter of Antakruddasha, listing ten studies: Nami, Matanga, Somila, Ramagupta (Ramputta), Sudarshana, Jamali, Bhyali, Kinkama, Pallateitiya, and Phalaambaputra.
- The current Antakruddasha only retains two of these names: Sudarshana and Kinkama.
Samavayanga Sutra: This text provides a detailed description of Antakruddasha's content, including:
- Details about the cities, gardens, temples, forests, kings, parents, samavasaranas (assembly halls), spiritual leaders, religious discourses of the "antakrits" (those who have reached the end of samsara).
- Discussions on worldly and other-worldly powers, renunciation of enjoyments, asceticism, meditation on scriptural knowledge, various modes of penance, seventeen types of restraint, celibacy, non-possession, carefulness, vigilance, yoga, study, and meditation.
- It explains how the annihilation of the four karmas leads to omniscience after attaining supreme restraint and overcoming adversities.
- It mentions the monastic life, death by fasting (prayopagamana), and the attainment of supreme bliss of liberation after being freed from attachment and aversion.
- Crucially, Samavayanga states that Antakruddasha has one Skandha (section), ten studies, and seven classes. This contradicts the current eight classes, suggesting that at the time of Samavayanga's compilation, the Sthananga's list of ten studies was remembered, but the current version (with at least seven classes) was emerging.
Nandisutra: The Nandisutra's description is largely similar to Samavayanga, but it explicitly mentions eight classes.
- While Samavayanga discusses ten "Samuddeshana Kalas" (periods of observation/teaching), Nandisutra discusses eight.
- This indicates that the current form of Antakruddasha was largely complete by the time of Nandisutra's composition and existed before it. The three Shvetambara texts show how the original Antakruddasha (mentioned in Sthananga) was altered, and a new version emerged by the time of Nandisutra.
Digambara Literature (Tatvarthavartika):
- Tatvarthavartika lists ten studies: Nami, Matanga, Somila, Ramputtra, Sudarshana, Yamalika, Valika, Kishkambala, and Patalambashthaputra.
- Comparing this to the Sthananga list, Yamalika and Valika are different from Jamali and Mayali (Bhagali) mentioned in Sthananga.
- Chilvaka from Sthananga is not mentioned, and instead, Pal and Ambashthaputra are considered separate names.
- The author considers the Sthananga's list to be the most authentic.

4. Parallels with Other Jain Texts:

Nami: The study of Nami in Antakruddasha is also found in the Uttara-adhyayana Sutra. The author questions if their subject matter was identical. Nami is also mentioned in the Sutrakritanga alongside ancient Rishis like Parasara and Ramputta.
Matanga: The second study, Matanga, appears as the 26th study named Matanga in Rishi-bhashita, though subject matter similarity is unclear.
Somila: The third study, Somila, shares its name with the 42nd study, Soma, in Rishi-bhashita.
Ramputta: The fourth study, Ramputta, is the 23rd study in Rishi-bhashita. Samavayanga also mentions a study named Ramputta in the Dwigniddhasha. It's possible these studies had different subject matter despite referring to the same person. Sutrakritanga mentions Ramputta as a respected Rishi. His name also appears in Pali Tripitaka literature.
Sudarshana: The fifth study in Sthananga is Sudarshana, whose detailed account is also found in the study of Arjuna Malakar. Sudarshana is also the tenth study in the sixth class of the current Antakruddasha.
Jamali: The sixth study is Jamali. His mention is found in the Bhagavati Sutra, where he is depicted as opposing Lord Mahavir's doctrine of "Kriyamankrita." The Shvetambara tradition considers Jamali as Lord Mahavir's son-in-law (jamatri). Later literature (Niyukti, Bhashya, Churnis) also mentions him as a Nighna (heretic).
Bhyali (Bhagali): The seventh study is Bhyali (Bhagali), mentioned as 'Bhagali metejja' in the 13th study of Rishi-bhashita.
Kinkama (Kikasa): The eighth study is Kinkama or Kikasa. The second study of the sixth class in the current Antakruddasha is named Kikum, although details are absent.
Chilvaka (Chillaavak): The ninth study is Chilvaka or Chillaavak. Some manuscripts have "Pallateitiya" instead. Digambara scholar Akalankadeva is also unclear about this.
Phalaambaputra: The tenth study is Phalaambaputra, which might be the Sanskrit form of Palaambashthaputra. Ambada Sanyasi is mentioned in the Bhagavati Sutra, and a study named Ambada exists in Rishi-bhashita. The author points out the discrepancy between calling him "Ambada Parivrajaka" and "Ambada-putra."

5. Historical Analysis and the Shift in Subject Matter:

The author believes the ten studies mentioned in Sthananga were related to real individuals, as many are corroborated by other sources, including Buddhist traditions (Ramputta, Somila, Matanga).
The Sthananga's account is considered the most authentic and historically true.
The Samavayanga's mention of ten studies and seven classes suggests a transitional period where the Sthananga's subject matter had changed, but the current Antakruddasha was not fully formed.
The current Antakruddasha was definitely established before Nandisutra was composed, as Nandisutra mentions eight classes and not ten studies.

6. Reasons for the Subject Matter Change:

The author postulates that the change in subject matter occurred deliberately (saprayojana) rather than due to forgetfulness.
The original ten individuals depicted in Antakruddasha might have included figures like Matanga, Ambada, Ramputta, Bhyali (Bhagali), and Jamali, who, while once respected in Jain tradition, became considered opponents or outsiders. Therefore, their inclusion in Anga Sutras was deemed inappropriate.
Just as the Rishi-bhashita was separated from the teachings of Rishis in the Prashna-vyakarana Sutra, the details of these individuals were deliberately removed from Antakruddasha.
Another possibility is the need to accommodate narratives related to Krishna and his family after Krishna was accepted as Vasudeva within the Jain tradition. This led to the replacement of the original content with five classes related to Krishna and his family.

7. Digambara Tradition and the Subject Matter:

The subject matter of Antakruddasha mentioned in the Digambara Tatvarthavartika closely matches the Sthananga list. This raises the question of how the Digambara tradition, which speaks of the loss of Anga Agamas, gained knowledge of the original subject matter.
The author believes this information was transmitted through the Yapa-niya tradition, which eventually diverged from the Shvetambaras. It is probable that the content of Antakruddasha, as mentioned in Sthananga, was prevalent until the split between Yapa-niyas and Shvetambaras, and this information reached Tatvarthavartika through oral tradition (anushruti).
However, the author notes that the Tatvarthavartika compiler likely had some confusions regarding certain names. For instance, the Sanskrit form of Bhagali or Bhyali cannot be Valika, and the transformation of Kinkama to Kishkambala is also questionable. The separate listing of Pal and Ambashthaputra by discarding Chilvaka or Pallateitiya also suggests the Vartika author was relying on oral tradition rather than the original text.
While Shvetambara Churnikars and Tikkakars were aware of both versions of the subject matter, Digambara Acharyas only had information about the earlier version (through oral tradition) and not the current one that emerged by the 6th century CE.
The information in Dhavala and Jayadhavala is based on Tatvarthavartika, implying they too lacked direct access to the ancient text.

Conclusion:

The author concludes that the subject matter of the ancient Antakruddasha was changed before the 4th-5th century CE, and the current version came into existence by the end of the 6th century CE. This transformation was a deliberate act, likely to remove individuals considered antagonistic to Jainism or to incorporate narratives related to Krishna.