The
first part of Satkhandagama called Jivatthana was completed with volume VI published an year and a half ago. The present volume contains the
second Khanda called Khunda-bandha
(SK.Ksudraka-bandha), which means Bondage in brief.
It consists of eleven chapters, besides the two additional ones, one being
introductory and the other in the form of an appendix. The subjectmatter
is for the most part identical with what had already been propounded in the
previous Khanda. But one important point of
distinction between the two treatments is that here the Gunasthana
division of souls has been ignored in dealing with the Marganasthannas,
while in the former treatment it was strictly adhered to. The categories
adopted in this part are also slightly different in scope as well as
arrangement from those of the previous Khanda. In
place of the eight divisions of jivatthana, namely,
Existence (Sat), Numbers (Samkhya), Volume (Ksetra), Space traversed (Sparsana).
Time (Kala), Interruption (Antara).
Quality (Bhava), and Comparative numerical strength (Alpabahutva),
the headings adopted here are Ownership (of karma) from the point of view of a
single soul (Swamitva), Time from the point of view
of a single soul (kala), Interruption from the point
of a single soul (Antara). Being or non-being of the
different conditions of existence from the point of view of the souls in the
aggregate (Bhanga-vicaya), Numbers (Dravya-Pramana), Volume (Ksetranugama),
Space traversed [Sparsana], Time from the point of
view of the soul in the aggregate, Interruption from the point of view of the
soul in the aggregate, Ratio [Bhagabhaganugama], and
Comparative numerical strength [Alpabahutva]. Besides
these eleven categories which constitute the main chapters of this khanda, the inroductory chapter
deals with the souls that contract karmas and those that do not [Bandhaka-sattva-Prarupana], and the supplementary chapter
at the end supplies information seriatim about the comparative numerical
strength of the different classes of souls in an ascending order [Mahadan-daka of Alpa-bahutava].
The information being for the most part the same as found in the first Khanda, it was not necessary to add many comparative
foot-notes and explanatory notes, because a reference to the corresponding
section of Jivatthana would easily supply the wanted
information. But where any novel or intricate point occurs, the necessary
explanations and notes have been added.
), we had felt
that the word Sanjada which was necessary there, had probably been omitted by a scribal mistake.
Therefore this fact was noted in a foot-note and the word was adopted in the
translation because otherwise (Page
((). Recently, however, there was again a
storm of criticism on the point because it was suspected that the addition of
the word Sanjada in the sutra goes contrary to the Digambara faith and supports the Svetam-bara
view of the possibility , had
also not brought out the word Sanjada in the Sutra. But because I was certain that the text
was incomplete and inconsistent without that word, I arranged for a closer
scrutiny of the Moodbidri mss. as
a result of which the two palm-leaf mss., which have preserved the text of the
Sutra, yielded the required reading, while in the third manuscript the leaf
itself containing the text of the Sutra is missing. This discovery together
with the result of (Page
(() has proved beyond doubt the validity of our system of the
text-constitution. I am very thank-ful to Pandit Loknath Shastri of Moodbidri
for the great pains he took in scrutinizing the palm-leaf manuscripts and
bringing to light the true and correct reading of that Sutra.