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TATTVĀRTHA SŪTRA
question composed commentaries on Brahmasūtra and sought to demonstrate their respective views from within it itself and on the basis of the Upanisadic texts, similarly, the scholars belonging to both the Digambara and “vetāmbara sects have composed commentaries on Tattvārtha and have sought to derive even their mutually conflicting views from within it itself and on the basis of the Āgamic texts. From this consideration just one common point emerges. Thus finding Brahmasūtra to be a text of well established repute within the fold of Vedānta literature brilliant masters holding mutually different views felt the necessity of demonstrating their special views basing themselves on Brahmasūtra and with the help of this very text; similarly, finding Tattvārtha-dhigama to be a text of well established repute within the fold of Jaina literature the scholars of both the sects have felt the necessity of expressing their views basing themselves on this text. However, inspite of this much broad similarity there is one important difference between the sectarian commentaries of Brahmasūtra and Tattvārtha. Thus as regards the basic topics of philosophy like world, soul, God etc. the famous commentators of Brahmasūtra hold very different views and often enough their views seem to be polar opposite of each other; but that is not the case with the commentators of Tattvārtha belonging to the Digambara and Svetāmbara sects. For as regards the basic topics of philosophy they exhibit no difference whatsoever and whatever little difference does obtain in this connection pertains to extremely ordinary matters and is not such as excludes compromise—that is, such as obtains between views that are polar opposite of each other. Really speaking, as regards the basic principles of philosophy there has not been at all any particular difference of opinion between the Digambara and Svetāmbara sects; hence the difference of opinion, observable in their commentaries on Tattvārtha—that too is not counted as much serious.
There are numerous commentaries on Tattvārtha—some ancient, some modern, some small, some big, some in Sanskrit, some in local vernaculars. But only four of them that are
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