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INTRODUCTION
The scope of the subject-matter of the present study has been given in the text itself. A few remarks may, however, be made here about its nature and limitations :
This work presupposes a broad familiarity with the philosophical position of Jainism as given, for instance, in J. L. Jaini's Outlines of Jainism, or in A. Chakravarti's introduction to his edition of Kundakunda's Pañcâstikāya sāra, or in any of the historical works on Indian philosophy.
No references have been made, except incidentally, to the Jaina canonical works. This is mainly due to the fact that many of the well-developed metaphysical ideas are a product of the post-canonical period although some basic ideas such as that reality is of the nature of permanence and change are found in an embryonic form in the canonical texts. Moreover, some scholars have already brought out a few works on the canonical section of Jaina literature. Amongst these the most notable are: W. Schübring's Die Lehre der Jainas, A. Weber's Sacred Literature of the Jainas (E. T. by H. W. Smith in Indian Antiquary, 1888-1892), and N. Tatia's Studies in Jaina Philosophy, and, above all, Vijayarājendra's Abhidhānarājendra, a massive canonical lexicon (in Jaina Prakrit, 7 vols.), and Ratnacandra's Ardha-Māgadhi Dictionary (5 vols.).
The epistemological part of this study has confined itself mainly to the treatment of the methods of knowledge. Further epistemological problems, such as the 'ways of knowing' (pramāṇas) and the various issues connected with them, could not be discussed within the limits of this work.
