Asita Deval In Isibhasiyai

Here's a comprehensive summary of the provided Jain text, focusing on Asita Devala in the Isibhasiyai:

The article "Asita-Devala in Isibhasiyai" by Lallanji Gopal analyzes the Isibhasiyai, an ancient Jain canonical text, and specifically explores the portrayal of the sage Asita Devala within it.

Significance and Nature of the Isibhasiyai

• Ancient Jain Text: The Isibhasiyai is considered one of the most ancient Jain agamic works, mentioned in the Thananga and Samavayanga. It is described as containing forty-four sections (adhyayana), though the extant text has forty-five.
• Scholarly Respect: The text was highly regarded, evidenced by the intention of a scholiast (erroneously attributed to Bhadrabahu) to write a commentary on it. It was accepted as a text for daily study, even if not part of the core angas.
• Early Date and Style: Schubring places the Isibhasiyai among the earliest Jain agamas, similar in language, style, and metres to texts like the Ayara, Sayagada, Uttarajjhaya, and Dasaveyaliya. It intermingles prose and verse, often with unmetrical expressions.
• Liberal and Inclusive Attitude: The Isibhasiyai reflects a liberal attitude characteristic of early Jainism. It includes sayings from thinkers outside the Jaina fold, including those from the Vedic/Brahmanical tradition, and also mentions figures like Mahavira's contemporary Gosala Maskariputra (as a pratyekabuddha), Mahakashyapa, and Sariputra.
• Omissions and Later Obscurity: Later Jain orthodoxy might not have tolerated some of the views in the Isibhasiyai, such as the approval of materialism (Section 20), the recognition of farming (divva kisi), and the equation of Parsva, Mahavira, and Gosala as pratyekabuddhas. This, according to Schubring, contributed to its later obscurity and confusion in commentaries (e.g., Haribhadra's).
• Dating Clues: The respectful portrayal of Gosala Maskariputra, unlike his depiction as a renegade in later texts like the Viyahapannatti, suggests the Isibhasiyai predates those works by several centuries.
• Emphasis on Ethics: A key characteristic is its focus on ethical thought, highlighting common ethical ideas across different religious traditions, while downplaying metaphysical and doctrinal differences, which further points to its early date.

Asita Devala in the Isibhasiyai

• Concept of Rshi / Pratyekabuddha: The text purports to collect the views of rshis, generally meaning sages, but in this context, it specifically refers to pratyekabuddhas – individuals who attained enlightenment but did not found a school.
• Identification and Name: The text mentions "Asiya Davila" in an introductory prose passage, and "Davila" in the concluding sentence of Section 3. Schubring identifies "Asiya Davila" with Asita Devala. While the equation of "Asiya" with "Asita" is straightforward, "Davila" as a derivative of "Devala" requires some explanation due to phonetic changes.
• Historical Context of Asita Devala: The Sütrakṛtänga also mentions Asita and Devala as distinct individuals who attained highest knowledge through unconventional paths. The Isimandala mentions "Devilāsuta," which the author suggests is related to Asita Devala. In Brahmanical tradition, Asita Devala sometimes appears as a single name, with Devala being a respected sage in Ayurveda, Sankhya, and a Smrti writer.
• Teachings of Asita Devala: The core of Asita Devala's teachings in the Isibhasiyai revolves around the cessation of all moral impurities or sins (savva-leva-ovara). The text emphasizes that those contaminated by moral impurities suffer in the cycle of rebirth, while those who have ceased them reach a permanent abode.
• Specific Impurities (Levā):
  • Verse 1: Violence (vihimsate) leading to attachment and malignity (rāga-dosa).
  • Verse 2: Taking possessions (pariggaham) leading to greed (gehimucchāya).
  • Verse 3: Anger (koham).
  • The text notes that this enumeration continues up to micchadamsaṇasalle (false philosophy/belief), which is the 18th papa in Jain tradition.
  • Verses 4-5 explicitly list moral impurities (leva) as killing living beings (pāṇātivāto), untruthfulness (aliyavayanan), stealing (adattan), sexual intercourse (mehuna-gamanan), hoarding (pariggaham), anger (koho), conceit (mūno), deceit (māyā), and greed (lobho). These are presented in an order that aligns with the first nine papas in Jainism.
• Analogies and Metaphors: The verses use similes to illustrate the destructive nature of negative emotions and actions:
  • Verse 7: Attachment (rāga) and malignity (dosa) destroy continence (bambhacera) like poison destroys milk.
  • Verse 8: Greed (gehi) increases sinful acts (pāvakamma) like milk turns to curd with stupefaction.
  • Verse 9: The fire of anger (koha) causes enduring unhappiness, unlike forest trees burnt by wildfire that regrow.
  • Verse 10: The fire of delusion (moha) cannot be extinguished even by the entire ocean's water.
  • Verse 11: Those who understand the cycle of birth and death and are free from actions attain final beatitude (siddhi).
• Author's Adaptation and Preservation of Original: The author of the Isibhasiyai attempts to frame Devala's ideas within Jain terminology and concepts, such as the mahā-vratas (great vows) and pāpas (sins).
  • The inclusion of verses related to the second, third, and fourth vows in one manuscript suggests an attempt to fit Devala's teachings into the five Jain vows, though this might be an interpolation.
  • The author's adaptation is evident in the way Devala's points are presented, sometimes cutting short enumerations (verses 1-3 followed by evam jāva micchādasaṇasalle) and other times elaborating (verses 4-5 listing impurities, followed by 6-11 providing further explanation).
  • The preservation of certain Brahmanical terms like uttamattha (highest pursuit, referring to moksha) and parivvae (wandering ascetic) in verse 6, and siddhi in verse 11, along with the broader meaning of brahmacarya (not just celibacy but religious study/self-restraint) in verse 7, indicates that the original kernel of Devala's Brahmanical thought still shines through the Jain adaptation.
• Stylistic Similarities with Devala's Work: The author of the Isibhasiyai seems to have followed the style of Devala's Dharmasutra, characterized by:
  • Long sentences with descriptive adjectives in prose passages.
  • A structure of summarizing key points first, then elaborating in verses.
  • The use of śloka metre, repetition of phrases as refrains, and homely similes.

In essence, the article highlights the Isibhasiyai as an early Jain text that, despite its later editorial adaptations, preserves significant insights into the ethical teachings of various ancient thinkers, including Asita Devala, and demonstrates a remarkably inclusive and liberal approach to religious thought in early India. The study of Asita Devala's section within this text reveals both the author's effort to integrate these teachings into a Jain framework and the survival of Devala's distinct Brahmanical perspective.