B 23-37 Praśnavyākaraṇa
Manuscript culture infobox
Filmed in: B 23/37
Title: Praśnavyākaraṇa
Dimensions: 34 x 6 cm x 152 folios
Material: palm-leaf
Condition: damaged
Scripts: Devanagari
Languages: Sanskrit
Subjects: Vyākaraṇa
Date:
Acc No.: NAK 4/149
Remarks:
Reel No. B 23/37
Title Prasnavyākaraṇa
Remarks A Sanskrit commentary by a jīvabhogin
Subject Jaināgama
Language Prakrit and Sanskrit
Text Features The available version of the Praśnavyākaraṇa, the tenth Aṅga of the Jain canon, deals with five sins (āsravas) and their consequences (saṃvaras). But the Sthānāṅga- and Samavāyāṅgasūtra, the third and fourth Aṅgas of the canon, are not aware of this version. As they describe, the tenth Aṅga deals with vidyās and mantras and it has to do with questioning, as the title is suggesting. The Nandisūtra gives the same as the contents of the tenth Aṅga. It is sure, therefore, that the above three sūtras had an older version of the Praśnavyākaraṇa before them. Quite early Weber has noticed this fact and drawn the conclusion that the original text which the compilers of Sthānāṅga- and Samavāyāṅgasūtra had before them was lost and another entirely different text was substituted in its place.
Abhayadevasūri in his commentary on the available version of the Praśnavyākaraṇa clearly states that the text is called so as questions or the vidyās used to ask questions [in divination] after setting [a mirror or medium such as] a thumb and so on are mentioned in it. Abhayadevasūri himself seems aware of the fact that the text he is commenting upon is not the original as he says, `what is suggested from the analysis of the title was the content of the text in earlier times but now only explanations on the five types of sins and five types of their consequences are found in the text.
Now as a sheer surprise, the original Praśnavyākaraṇa together with a Sanskrit commentary has been found preserved in a palm-leaf manuscript in the National Archives of Nepal. As the manuscript is written in Jain Nagari, it is highly probable that it was written in western India but found its way to Nepal when Gujrati merchants travelled or migrated to Kathmandu Valley in mediaeval times. But it is also possible that it was written by a Jain migrant in Kathmandu. There is a paper transcript of this palm-leaf manuscript, which was made at least a half century ago. It is badly rat-eaten in the left-hand side and is of little use except in one place, where two folios of the palm-leaf manuscript are missing but the text on them is found in it albeit with some lacunae.
The text comes together with a Sanskrit commentary by one Jivabhogin, probably a disciple of Devanandin by whose grace, as the commentator says, he was able to compose it. If this Devanandin is the same as the author of the Jainendra-vyākaraṇa, the commentator's time cannot be later than the end of the sixth century.
Manuscript Details
Script Nagari (Jaina)
Material palm-leaf
State almost complete
Size 34 x 6 cm
Binding Hole 1, in centre-left
Folios 150
Lines per Folio 5-6
Foliation figures in the left margin of the verso
Place of Deposit NAK
Accession No. 4-149
Manuscript Features
Fols. 142 and 143 are missing.
Excerpts
Beginning
[oṃ na]⁅maḥ si⁆ddhebhyaḥ ||
siddham aruam aṇiṃdiam akidaam aṇavajjam accaaṃ (!) vīraṃ |
ṇavikuṇa sayalatihuaṇamatthaacūḍāmaṇisihatthaṃ || ○ ||
[e]ṣā hi gāthā bhagavato jinavarasya stutyarthe sarvvasyaiva hi śāstrasyādāv ārabhyamāṇasyeṣṭadevatānamaskāraṃ vighnavināsanāya maṅgalārthaṃ ca yuktaṃ karttum iti kṛtvāntato vīrasya stutiḥ kriyate | siddhiṃ siddhim upāgataṃ nirvvāṇam ity arthaḥ | aruaṃ rū⟪he⟫parahitam | aṇiṃdiaṃ indriyāṇi tāni yasya na vidyante so ʼyam anindriyaḥ iṃdriyarahitas tam aniṃdriyam | akidaaṃ akṛtakaṃ kartṛrahitam | aṇavajjaṃ anavadyaṃ | śreṣṭham ity arthaḥ | accudaṃ acyutam | cyavanaṃ cyutir ity arthaḥ | na cyutaṃ | yasmān na bhūyas tasya patanaṃ saṃsāre ʼsmin vidyata ity acyutaṃ tasmād acyutas tam acyutam | kam āha | vīram | śreṣṭhaṃ pradhānaṃ jinavaram ity arthaḥ | (fols. 1v1–6)
End
kālatrayaṃ(!)vibhāgārtham idaṃ śiṣyahitāya ca |
kṛtā ṭīkā mahābhāgā darśanajyotyāṃ(!)saṃjñitā |
avyaktapadavākyārthavyaktā(!)dāhṛtapesalā |
devanandiprasādena kṛteyaṃ jīvabhoginā |
uttaraṃ cāpi yady atra vyaktatāpena pṛcchati |
tad ihaiva mayā vyaktā likhitā jīvabhoginā |
nāmo (!) jñānātiṣṭhāya saṃpattye kevalātmane |
pradhānāvyayacaitanyaṃpavibhoga(!)kṛtātmane |
atha darśanajyotir iti kimarthan nāma kṛtavān yuty (!) ucyate | darśanagrahaṇena śāstram abhisaṃbadhyate | sāstra <<mā>> nāmo sarśanam ity anarthāntaraṃ | jyotir ābhāsaṃ āloko dīptis teja ity arthaḥ | tasya darśanasya jñānasya śāstrasya vā jyotiḥ sūkṣmatejo vīryaṃ darśanajyotiḥ etc. (fol. 147r5-v5)
End
kṛti jīvabhoginaḥ dvitīyaṃ cāsya nāma sāradatteti || ○ ||
ṇamo arahaṃtāṇaṃ | ṇamo siddhāṇaṃ | ṇamo āiriyāṇaṃ | ṇamo uvajjhayāṇaṃ | ṇamo loe sarvvasāhūṇaṃ | ṇamo bhagavado mahadi mahāvīravaḍḍhamāṇabuddassa | ṇamo jiṇāṇaṃ ṇamo jiṇāṇaṃ | ṇamo parpmāvijiṇāṇaṃ | ṇamo savvovijiṇāṇaṃ ṇamo paṇhavāyaraṇavidyudevadāe | ṇamo sarassadīe | mama hidayaṃ pavissa | cakkhuṃ pavissa | jihāṃ pavissa | pucchaassa muhaṃ pavissa | aṃgapavaṃga pavissa | darisaya savvaṃ mama aisa antaṃ asamaeṇa saccavāiṇī uṃ udara 2 (ida) maṇijāle suvaṇṇajāle jaassa vijae majaravāhiṇī svāhā || ○ || aṣṭasādhanaṃ trirātram upavāsaṃ kṛtvā paurṇṇamāsyāṃ puṣyayogeṇa samadhātikṣa(!)sadīpāya sacaruṃ nivedya | anyarvā (!) sarasvatyādisarvvatīrthakarāś ca samabhyarcya tataḥ aṣṭasahasraṃ japet | siddho bhavati | svapnaṃ darśayati | prabhāte pūjāṃ kṛtvā yathāśaktitaḥ | tataḥ ādeśaḥ karttavyaḥ || ○ || namo bhagavadīe mahatimahāvidyāe aṇṇdāe pāṇadāe giri 2 ru 2 mayūravāhinī svāhā | aṣṭasahaśriko jāpaḥ || a 1 | ka 41 | ca 6 | ṭa 12 | ta 24 | pa 36 | ya 44 | etc. (fol. 149r3-v4)
Microfilm Details
Reel No. B 23/37
Date of Filming 03-10-1982
Exposures 156
Used Copy Kathmandu
Type of Film positive
Catalogued by DA
Date 07-12-2004
Bibliography Diwakar Acharya: The Original Paṇhavāyaraṇa / Praśnavyākaraṇa Discovered. (International Journal of Jaina Studies Vol. 3, No. 6 (2007) 1-10).
