Shruta Skandh

Preface

Those who have read the previous blog on Shrutavatar would be curious as to the contents of the Dwadashang gyan, the knowledge of which leads to attainment of Keval Gyan. Such a curiosity is partially fulfilled by this blog on Shruta Skandh which was a short granth written by Bramha Hemchandra. No information is available about his background except that his Guru was Acharya Ramnandi who was known to be Guru of Manikya nandi belonging to the period of 10^th to 11^th century A.D. Thus the author should be belonging to near about this period.

In this book also the story of generation of shruta is reiterated in a similar way as that of Shrutavatar. Further this describes in brief the structure of Dwadashang starting with Acharang including its size.

One can visualize based upon the miniscule proportion of the currently available form  of scriptures in the form of Dhavala, Jayadhavala and Maha Dhavala with respect to the their parent scriptures that what a vast amount of shruta has been lost over the period of time. In fact  reading of Dhavala etc. just gives a glimpse of what the content of knowledge in those times was. It is mentioned in Gommatsar that a very small amount of what was known to omniscient was passed on to Gautam Ganadhar, of which again a very small amount was transcribed. Again we are left with a very small amount of what was available. The contents of Dhavala etc. forms a  very small  part of 12^th Ang Drishtivad, wherein also it forms a  very small part of 14 Poorvas. Hence what would be the content of Keval gyan is simply mind boggling.

Reading of scriptures like Shruta Skandh gives us a flavor of the knowledge of omniscient and reiterates the conviction that we are quite fortunate to be able to even visualize it today. If Acharya Dharsen would not have made efforts to transcribe his knowledge, possibly we would not have even known about the content of Dwadashang.

I have made use of the translated version of Shruta Skandh originally edited by Pannalal Vakliwal and translated by Bramhacharis Vinod Jain and Anil Jain, available through Jain e Library. I hope the readers would be able to get a flavor of the Keval Gyan on reading this scripture. It comprises of 94 Gathas in all which shall be completed in three installments of the blog.

Shruta Skandh - I

1. Bowing and offering obeisance on the feet of 24 Tirthankaras from Rishabh to Mahaveer , I shall describe the form of Shruta  of twelve Angs as given in the scripture. Bhavya Jivas listen carefully.

2-3. In the area of southern Bharat Kshetra there are two types of periods namely Utsarpini and Avasarpini. On completion of 18 kodakodi sagar ( Utsarpini=10, Avasarpini=8) and with 1/8 of a palya period remaining for the Bhog bhumi , birth of 14 Kulakars take place sequentially. The name of last Kulakar was Nabhi raya and his wife was named Marudevi.

Note : The time cycle comprises of Kalpa kaals of 20 kodakodi sagar period which has two divisions-  Utsarpini and Avasarpini. Each of them have six divisions each. Each of the Utsarpini and Avasarpini kaals have a duration of 10 kodakodi sagar each. After passage of 10 kodakodi sagar of Utsarpini kaal and passage of Uttam and Madhyam Bhog bhumi periods of Avasarpini kaals and with 1/8 of a palya period remaining in the Jaghanya bhogbhumi , the birth of the Kulakars start taking place. Of them the last Kulakar was Nabhiraya and his wife was named Marudevi.

4. With a period of 84 lakh purva , 3 years, 8 months and one paksh ( 15 day) remaining for the Sushama Dushama ( Jaghanya Bhog bhumi) kaal, the birth of son named Rishabh took place for Nabhiraya Kulakar.

5-7. Rishabh kumar spent 20 lakh poorva  in childhood and ruled for 63 lakh poorva . One day on seeing the death of dancer named Neelanjana he was disenchanted by the sufferings of the world  and accepting charitra he spent twelve thousand years in Chhadmastha state. Thereafter upon enlightenment of Keval gyan, arrival of Devas took place. Adorned with Samosharan having twelve types of gentry , he moved around to address the bhavya jivas. The Shruta ( scripture) is eternal and he revealed the same shruta again.

8. Avagrah( first contact), Iha ( awareness), Awaya( confirmation), Dharana( comprehension), five senses ,one mind, and twelve types of objects; multiplying them together generates Mati Gyan of 336 types. Shruta gyan is generated subsequent to Mati gyan.

9. Vrita ( fasting), Samiti ( discipline), Gupti ( restraints) etc. are described in 18000 padas ( verses) in Acharang ( first of the twelve Ang Shrutagyan). O bhavya Jivas! Offer obeisance to the same with mind, speech and body.   

Commentary: In  18000 verses of Acharang it has been described how one should walk? How one should stand and how one should seat himself? How one should sleep? How one should partake food? How one should converse? So that one does not accrue pap karmas bondage. 

One should walk carefully, stand carefully, sit carefully, sleep carefully, partake food carefully and speak carefully so that pap bondage does not accrue. In this Acharang eight types of cleansing procedures, five samiltis and three guptis are described. In this manner it narrates the conduct of Munis.

10. Different activities of  Gyan ( knowledge) and Vinay (humility) are described in 36000 verses in Sutra Kritang ( the second Ang) sruta gyan. I hereby salute to it.

Commentary: In Sutra Kritang of 36000 padas, Gyan Vinay ( humility of knowledge), Pragyapana ( presentation), Kalpakalpya ( doable- non doable), Chhedopasthapana ( repentance for not maintaining restraints) and Vyavahara ( practical) dharma activities are described having total purity. Further the swa-samaya ( own dravya) and par-samaya (other dravya) are also described. This ang also narrates the manifestations related to women, impotence, fury of lust, luxury, desire of men etc. different characteristics of women.

11. The shruta that describes different Sthans (types) of Jiva, Ajiva, dharma, Adharma, Akash, kaal dravyas in the increasing order by means of 42000 padas is Sthanang.

Commentary: This Ang describes the  different sthans (types)  starting from one in increasing order of jiva, pudgala etc. by means of 42000 padas. This Jiva is one due to the quality of indestructible consciousness or otherwise due to all jivas having the property of common upayoga form characteristics. That jiva is of two types from aspects of gyan ( knowledge) and darshan ( vision), worldly or liberated, bhavya or abhavya. From aspects of dravya, guna, paryaya or aspects of utpad (generation), vyaya (destruction), dhrovya (permanence), or aspects of Gyan chetna, Karma chetna and karma phal chetna , Jiva is of three types. Due to migration in four types of births in narak (hell) etc. he undergoes four types of transformations. Jiva is of five types having bhavas of Aupashamik etc. bhavas. Upon death jiva traverses in six directions of east, west, north, south, down and up, hence is of six types. His existence is established by means of seven bhangs (seven fold predications) hence he is of seven types. Due to influx of eight types of karmas of Gyanavarana etc. or having eight qualities of samyaktva, he is of eight types. Due to manifestations into nine types of padarth, he is of nine types. Taking births in ten forms of Prithvi (earth), vayu (air), jala(water), agni (fire), pratyek (individual) or sadharan (common)  Vanaspati (vegetable), dwindriya (two sensed), trindriya( three sensed), chaturindriya ( four sensed), panchendriya (five sensed) , he is said to be of ten types.

12-13. Samavaya (Equivalence) can be four types with respect to dravya, khetra, kaal and bhava. The statement of dravya samavaya is as follows: The number of spatial elements of dharmastikaya, adharmastikaya, lokakash and one jiva are the same. Kshetra samavaya: The areas of Jambu dweep and Sarvarth siddhi are the same both having one lakh yojan as the diameter. Kaal samavaya: The number of samaya within Avasarpini and Utsarpini kaals are the same. Bhava samavaya: Keval gyan is equal to Keval darshan. In this manner the Samavaya Ang describes the equivalence of various objects within one lakh sixty four thousand padas. I worship that samavayang as a matter of rule.

Commentary: In Samavaya Ang the equivalence of various objects is considered  in one lakh sixty four thousand padas . That equivalence is of four kinds from aspects of dravya, khetra, kaal and bhava. The dravya samavaya is described as follows: Dharmastikaya, Adharmastikaya, Lokakash and one jiva dravyas have same number of innumerable pradeshas hence they have equivalence from aspect of dravya. Jambu dweep, Sarvarth Siddhi, Apratishthan Narak (7^th hell), one pond in Nadishwara dweep equally have size of one lakh yojan hence they are having khetra samavaya. Utsarpini and Avasarpini kaals have the same duration of ten koda kodi sagaropam hence they have kaal samavaya. Kshayik Samyaktva, Keval gyan, Keval darshan and Yatha khyat charitra all have infinite blissful experience hence they have bhava samavaya.  

14. Ganadhar Parameshthi have described answers to various questions such as whether Jiva is there? Whether jiva is not there? Such sixty thousand questions are answered in Vyakhya Pragyapti Ang  by means of two lakh twenty eight thousand padas.

15. That Shruta gyan, which describes the stories of enlightenment of Tirthankaras and Ganadhar Devas by means of Five lakh fifty thousand padas, is Gyatri Dharma Katha Ang and I worship the same.

Commentary: Gyatri Dharma Katha Ang contains five lakh fifty six thousand padas. It describes in the dharma deshna in divine sound form, preached by Bhagwan Tirthankara without movement of tongue and lips in all the prevalent languages, doubts of Ganadhar devas and their answers , several types of kathas and their subsidiaries.

16. The Ang which describes in eleven lakh seventy thousand padas, the vritas (vows) undertaken by the Shravakas in detail is known as Upasaka Adhyayan Ang.

Commentary: Upasak Adhyayan Ang contains eleven lakh seventy thousand padas which describe the  eleven types of vows undertaken by shravakas namely : darshan, vrita, samayik, proshadh, sachitta virati, ratribhukti virati, bramhacharya, Arambh virati, Parigrah virati, Anumati virati, Uddishtha virati  which are eleven types of desha charitra (partial conduct) which are described in detail.

17. The Antah Krita Dashang describes by means of twenty three lakh twenty eight thousand padas, description of ten munis each in the period of each Tirthankara, the kinds of upasarg ( calamities) tolerated by them prior to attaining Nirvana. I bow to the same.

Commentary: Those who have ended the stay in the world are called Antah Krita. Nami, Matang, Somil, Ramputra, Sudarshan, Yamaleek, Valeek, Kishkamvil, Palamb and Ashtaputra have attained status of AntahKrita in the Teerth  of Vardhaman Tirthankar. In the same way in the teerths of Vrishabha etc. twenty three thirthankaras different ten each people have attained Antah Krita.Thus ten munis each undergo severe upasarg and overcome them destroying all the karmas  and thus they become Antah krita. Since in this Ang the description of those ten each is there it is called Antah Krita Dashang.

Continued…...