Antakruddasha Ki Vishayvastu Ek Punarvichar

Here's a comprehensive summary in English of the provided Jain text, "Antakruddasha ki Vishayvastu Ek Punarvichar" by Sagarmal Jain:

This text critically examines the subject matter of the Antakruddasha (अन्तकृद्दशा), the eighth Anga (canonical scripture) in the Shvetambar Jain tradition. The author, Sagarmal Jain, delves into the evolution and discrepancies of its content across different Jain textual traditions and historical periods.

Key Points:

• Antakruddasha's Place in Jain Canon: The Antakruddasha is identified as the eighth Anga in the Shvetambar tradition, mentioned in texts like the Sthanangasutra, Samavayangasutra, and Nandisutra. Digambar traditions also reference it in works like Rajavartika, Dhavala, and Jayadhavala.

• Current Structure of Antakruddasha: The currently available Antakruddasha is divided into eight classes (vargas).

  • Class 1 (8 studies): Gautam, Samudra, Sagar, Gambhir, Stimita, Achal, Kampilya, Akshobha, Prasenjit, and Vishnu.
  • Class 2 (8 studies): Akshobha, Sagar, Samudra, Himavant, Achal, Dharan, Pooran, and Abhi Chandra.
  • Class 3 (13 studies): Aniyasa Kumar, Anantasena Kumar, Aniha Kumar, Vidvat Kumar, Devayasha Kumar, Shatrusena Kumar, Sarana Kumar, Gaja Kumar, Sumukha Kumar, Durmukha Kumar, Koopaka Kumar, Daaruka Kumar, and Anadrushti Kumar.
  • Class 4 (10 studies): Jali Kumar, Mayali Kumar, Upayali Kumar, Purushasena Kumar, Varishasena Kumar, Pradyumna Kumar, Shamba Kumar, Aniruddha Kumar, Satyanemi Kumar, and Drudhanemi Kumar.
  • Class 5 (10 studies): Primarily related to Krishna's eight principal wives and two of Pradyumna's wives. Most figures from Class 1 to 5 are associated with Krishna's family and lived under the reign of Arishtenemi.
  • Classes 6, 7, and 8: These are related to the reign of Mahavira.
    • Class 6 (16 studies): Makai, Kinkam, Mudgarapani, Kashyapa, Kshema, Dhritidhar, Kailasa, Harichandana, Varat, Sudarshana, Punyabhadra, Sumanabhadra, Supratishthita, Meghakumara, Antimukta Kumara, and Alakka (Alakshya) Kumara.
    • Class 7 (13 studies): Nanda, Nandavati, Nandottara, Nandashrenika, Maruta, Sumaruta, Mahamaruta, Marudeva, Bhadra, Subhadra, Sujata, Sumanayika, and Bhutadatta.
    • Class 8 (10 studies): Kanti, Sukanti, Mahakanti, Krishana, Sukrishna, Mahakrishna, Veerakrishna, Ramakrishna, Mahasenakrishna, and Mahasenakrishna (ten wives of Shrenika).

• Discrepancies with Ancient Mentions:

  • Sthanangasutra: Lists ten studies: Nami, Matanga, Somila, Ramagupta (Ramaputra), Sudarshana, Jamali, Bhyali, Kinkam, Pallatetiya, and Phalambaputra. Of these, only Sudarshana and Kinkam are found by name in the current version.
  • Samavayangasutra: Describes the content as including cities, gardens, temples, forests, kings, parents, assemblies, preceptors, discourses, worldly and otherworldly powers, renunciation of enjoyments, taking up the religious life, meditation on scriptural knowledge, penances, various vows, seventeen types of restraint, celibacy, non-possession, carefulness, self-control, diligence, study, and meditation. It details how one attains omniscience by achieving excellent restraint and conquering possessions, leading to the destruction of four karmas. It also mentions the monks' life, the practice of Prayopagamana (fasting unto death), and liberation from the cycle of birth and death. Samavayangasutra states there is one Shrutaskandha, ten studies, and seven classes, which is one less than the current eight classes. The author suggests Samavayangasutra attempted to reconcile the Sthanangasutra's list with the existing text, which might have been in its early stages of development.
  • Nandisutra: Largely similar to Samavayangasutra but explicitly mentions eight classes. While Samavayangasutra discusses ten "samudeshana" periods, Nandisutra discusses eight. This indicates that the current Antakruddasha was largely completed before the composition of Nandisutra.

• Digambar Tradition's Perspective:

  • Tattvarthavartika: Mentions ten studies: Nami, Matanga, Somila, Ramaputra, Sudarshana, Yamalika, Valika, Kishkamvala, and Patalaambashthaputra. Yamalika and Valika differ from the Sthanangasutra's Jamali and Mayali (Bhagali). It also mentions Palambashthaputra. The author notes that Tattvarthavartika seems to have lost the original texts and relies on tradition, leading to some inaccuracies in names.

• Historical Analysis of Names:

  • The "Nami" study mentioned in Sthanangasutra is likely the same as the "Nami" found in the Uttaradhyayana Sutra, also mentioned in the Sutrakritanga alongside ancient sages.
  • The "Matanga" study in Sthanangasutra aligns with the Matanga study in Rishabhasita.
  • The "Somila" study in Sthanangasutra bears resemblance to the "Soma" study in Rishabhasita.
  • The "Ramaputra" study in Sthanangasutra is also found in Rishabhasita and Samavayangasutra. The author notes that Ramaputra is mentioned as a respected sage in Sutrakritanga and also extensively in Pali Buddhist literature.
  • Sudarshana (5th study in Sthanangasutra) is found in the 6th class, 10th study of the current Antakruddasha. Sudarshana is also detailed in the study of Arjuna Malakar.
  • Jamali (6th study in Sthanangasutra) is mentioned in Bhagavati Sutra, where he opposes Lord Mahavira's principle of renunciation. Shvetambaras also consider him Lord Mahavira's son-in-law. Later commentaries also mention him as a heretic.

• The Author's Hypothesis for Content Change:

  • The author believes the transformation of the Antakruddasha's content was purposeful, not due to forgetfulness.
  • It's possible that the original ten personalities depicted in the ancient Antakruddasha included figures like Matanga, Ambada, Ramaputra, Bhagali, and Jamali. While these individuals might have been respected in Jain tradition at one point, they were later considered opponents or outsiders. Therefore, including their narratives in the Anga Sutras was deemed inappropriate.
  • Similar to how Rishabhasita was separated from the teachings of the sages in the Prashnavyakarana, the author suggests the descriptions of these individuals were intentionally separated from the Antakruddasha.
  • When Lord Krishna was accepted as Vasudeva in Jain tradition, it became necessary to incorporate narratives related to him and his family. Thus, the ancient content was replaced with five classes (Classes 1-5) focusing on Krishna and his family, while the older content, which likely existed by the 6th century CE, was altered or dispersed into other texts.

• Transmission of Information to Digambaras: The author posits that Digambar knowledge regarding the older Antakruddasha content likely came through the Yapaniya tradition. It's suggested that the Tattvarthavartika's information might have been transmitted through oral tradition rather than access to the original text.

• Conclusion: The author concludes that the subject matter of the ancient Antakruddasha was modified before the 4th-5th century CE, and the current version came into existence by the end of the 6th century CE. The Digambar tradition's information about the older content is based on oral transmission and has some inaccuracies, while the Shvetambar tradition has access to both the older lists (like Sthanangasutra) and the developed current text. The significant change in content was a deliberate act, possibly to integrate the growing importance of Krishna narratives into the Jain canon.