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PREFACE
Whatever I had to say about Tattvärtha Sutra has been given in the Introduction. As such, I have not much to state in this preface. It is worth pointing out that Tattvärtha Sutra happens to be the only text acceptable to the Jains of all denominations. Though it is a short composition that can be covered within 20 pages, it deals with almost everything that Jainism has to convey. It mainly deals with seven (or nine) fundamentals that form the basic core of Jainism. The author's presentation of the core is so superb that highly learned people have been induced to write voluminous commentaries thereon.
On the occasion of 2500th anniversary of Lord Mahaveer's Nirvän revered Vinobäji had called for one single Jain publication that would be acceptable to all the Jains. That had led to the compilation of 756 verses of Samansuttam. Adorable as the compilation is, it has to be admitted that it has not met the main criterion of universal acceptance. While it got the stamp of approval from Digambar and Teräpathi Jains, Shwetämbar Moortipoojak and Sthänakwäsi Jains have mostly stayed aloof. Moreover, its 756 verses make it too bulky to be of regular use. I feel in hindsight that instead of undertaking new compilation the Jain community could have presented Tattvärtha Sutra as the uniformly acceptable Jain book that Vinobäji was looking for.
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