Kriyavadi Adi 363 Pakhandi Swarup Stotra - Book Summary

Here is a comprehensive summary in English of the Jain text "Kriyavadi Adi 363 Pakhandi Swarup Stotra" by Kalyankirtivijay, based on the provided text:

The Kriyavadi Adi 363 Pakhandi Swarup Stotra, compiled by Muni Kalyankirtivijay, is a devotional hymn (Stotra) that, under the guise of offering prayers to the Bhagavant (Lord), details the nature and classification of 363 heretical viewpoints (Pakhandi) that appeared during Lord Mahavir's Samavasaran (religious assembly).

The text categorizes these 363 heretical viewpoints into four main groups:

Kriyavadi (Activists/Believers in action): 180 types
Akriyavadi (Non-activists/Deniers of action): 84 types
Ajnanavadi (Ignorant/Agnostic): 67 types
Vinayavadi (Those who emphasize veneration/respect): 32 types

Detailed Breakdown of Categories:

Kriyavadi (180 types):
- The classification of Kriyavadi is based on the Nine Tattvas (essences/principles) of Jainism.
- The Jiva (soul) is considered in two ways: Swatah (by itself) and Paratah (by another) (2 categories).
- Each of these is further divided into Nitya (eternal) and Anitya (non-eternal) (2 x 2 = 4 categories).
- These are then considered in relation to five causes: Kal (time), Niyati (destiny), Swabhav (inherent nature), Ishwar (God), and Atma (soul) (4 x 5 = 20 categories).
- By calculating these relationships across the Nine Tattvas, the total number of Kriyavadi classifications reaches 9 x 20 = 180.
Akriyavadi (84 types):
- The Akriyavadi deny the existence of the Jiva in two ways: Swatah (by itself) and Paratah (by another) (2 categories).
- They deny the Jiva's existence in relation to six causes: Kal (time), Yadṛcchā (chance), Niyati (destiny), Swabhav (inherent nature), Ishwar (God), and Atma (soul) (2 x 6 = 12 categories).
- By considering seven Tattvas (excluding Punya and Papa - merit and demerit) and multiplying by these 12 categories, the total number of Akriyavadi classifications is 7 x 12 = 84.
Ajnanavadi (67 types):
- The Ajnanavadi classifications arise from considering the Nine Tattvas in relation to seven types of predication: Sat (real), Asat (unreal), Sad-asat (both real and unreal), Avaktavya (inexpressible), Sadvaktavya (real and expressible), Asadvaktavya (unreal and expressible), and Sadasadvaktavya (both real and unreal, and expressible) (9 x 7 = 63 categories).
- Adding four types of origination (Sadutpatti - real origination, Asadutpatti - unreal origination, Sad-asadutpatti - origination of both, and Avaktavyautpatti - inexpressible origination) to these 63 categories results in 63 + 4 = 67 Ajnanavadi classifications.
Vinayavadi (32 types):
- The Vinayavadi are categorized based on veneration (Vinay) performed through mind, speech, and body, along with dana (charity).
- This veneration is directed towards eight types of individuals: Deva (celestial beings), Nṛp (kings), Yati (ascetics), Jñāti (relatives), Sthavir (elders), Bālak (children), Pitā (father), and Mātā (mother).
- Multiplying the eight recipients by the four modes of veneration gives 8 x 4 = 32 Vinayavadi classifications.

Author's Plea and Context:

At the end of the Stotra, the author makes a plea to the Lord: "O Lord! Do it so that these heretics do not obstruct me again in the future." This indicates the purpose of the Stotra is to understand and overcome these false doctrines.

The initial line of the Stotra, "Sirivajjasenapanayam", suggests that the hymn might have been composed by a disciple of Muni Vajrasen. It is noteworthy that Muni Vajrasen, a disciple of Vajraswami, is well-known in the Jain tradition. The date of composition for this Stotra is not mentioned.

The text includes the actual verses of the Stotra, which reiterate the classifications of Kriyavadi, Akriyavadi, Ajnanavadi, and Vinayavadi, and concludes with the plea to the Lord to protect the author from the obstruction of these heretical views.