< The present volume contains the
first section, namely Kriti Anuyogadvara,
out of the twenty-four sections included in the last three Khandas,
namely, Vedana, Vargana and
Mahabandha of Bhutabali as
well as the Culika of Virasena,
as has already been shown in the introduction to part I of this series. The Kriti and Vedana Anuyogadvaras constitute the Vedana
Anuyogadvara as shown by the long space devoted to
its treatment. >
< The word Kriti
means action, and the present section which goes by that name deals with the
formation and dissolution of the corporeal matter in the five kinds of bodies,
namely, Audarika, Vaikriyika,
Aharaka, Taijasa and Karmana possessed by the living beings, under the usual
eight categories ie. Sat, Sankhya, Kshetra, Sparshana, Kala, Antara, Bhava and Alpa-bahutva. >
< One noteworthy feature of this
part of Shatkhandagama is that it contains forty-four
benedictory Sutras, the authorship of which is attributed by the commentator Virasena to Gautama the chief
disciple of Tirthamakara Mahavira
himself. The same Sutras are also found included in the Yoniprabhrita,
a work of Mantra Vidya, traditionally attributed to Dharasena the teacher of Pushpadanta
and Bhutabali. The Sutras, thus, lend support to the
tradition regarding the author-ship of Yoni-prabhrita.
>
< Inspite
of the presence of the benedictory Sutras at the beginning of the work, the Vedana Khanda has been called by Virasena as Anibaddha-Mangala
because the author Bhutabali has not himself composed
the Mangala. But the Jivatthana
was originally composed by Pushpadanta himself. This
was fully discussed by me in the introduction to Vol.II
and the position taken by me there remains so far unaltered. >
< The historical survey of the Jaina Sangh and its scriptures found
in this section is for the most part a repetition of what had already been said
in the introductory part of Vol. I. There are, however, a few more interesting
details regarding the life of Lord Mahavira. >