Some Notes On The Transmission Of The Ayarangasutta
By Colette Caillat
Summary
The first article, “Some Notes on the Transmission of the Āyāraṅgasutta,” by Colette Caillat, examines the complex textual history of one of the earliest Jain scriptures. Caillat draws attention to the numerous critical notes and variant readings compiled by Muni Sri Jambuvijaya in his 1977 edition of the Āyāraṅgasutta. She situates her study within earlier scholarship by Western and Indian researchers, particularly O.D. Malvania, highlighting how the sacred text was originally composed of two śrutaskandhas and nine adhyayanas. Over time the Mahāparinna adhyayana disappeared and the second śrutaskandha acquired appendices, leaving scholars to reconstruct its original form from later commentaries. Caillat illustrates how disruptions in transmission, gaps in the manuscript tradition and differing recensions in various sectarian traditions contribute to a complicated picture of the text’s evolution. Using examples from the third cūla, she shows that inconsistencies in the length and content of developments between the canonical text and the Cūrṇi’s explanations reveal differences in ascetic ideals, doctrinal emphases and narrative detail. She stresses that the Āyāraṅgasutta is not only a text on conduct but also a rich source on Jain cosmology, ethics and philosophy. The article discusses how scholastic commentaries and oral transmission have shaped the available manuscripts, and calls for careful philological work to reconstruct lost portions and understand the reasons behind interpolations. Caillat concludes that while the extant text offers valuable insights into early Jain teachings, one must acknowledge that its transmission has been neither linear nor uniform. Ongoing comparative studies of manuscripts and commentaries can shed light on the processes by which Jain scripture was preserved, altered and contextualised through time. Throughout, she emphasizes the importance of combining textual criticism with an awareness of the living religious and literary traditions that sustained the Āyāraṅgasutta and continue to give it meaning for practitioners today.
Conclusion
Caillat’s investigation into the Āyāraṅgasutta highlights how fragile the transmission of early Jain scripture has been. By tracing missing sections, variant readings and the role of commentaries, she shows that scholarly reconstructions must remain provisional. The article underscores the need for rigorous philological work alongside sensitivity to the religious context in which the text evolved. Caillat ends by encouraging further collaborative research to recover lost passages and to appreciate the Āyāraṅgasutta as both a doctrinal treatise and a testament to the resilience of the Jain literary tradition.