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This text contains 344 or 357 aphorisms. The text contents are related with all major theoretical and practical aspects of the Jain system. It is a small text but it describes Jainism to its fullest excellently. It represents an epitome of Jainism. This book has ten chapters of uneven length containing the above number of aphorisms. The subject content is not new. However, it has brought together all the earlier scattered material for the first time in a structured system. It consists of all the necessary fundamentals of Jainism. It describes the realities in the world and their true nature. Its contents are as appropriate as its name. The Jain principles have been described here both spiritually and scientifically. It mentions that the object of a successful life is to attain ultimate, permanent inner happiness or salvation. It cannot be fulfilled until we have a threefold coordinated path of right faith, right knowledge and right conduct. The path cannot be followed until we have the right knowledge about the realities of the world. The right knowledge could be obtained either by self-intuition or it could be obtained through listening, reading and analyzing the scriptures with the help of the enlightened souls and spiritual teachers. It is necessary that the knowledge be very right. The criteria could be satisfied only when one critically evaluates our information through different organs of knowledge and viewpoints. This is the same process we apply even today to get useful knowledge. The text not only describes the methods of obtaining knowledge about the outer world, but it also describes how to attain knowledge about the inner world. This requires purification of the body, the mind and speech through austerities and meditation. During the elaboration, it points out the details of seven types of verbal and nonverbal viewpoints and the theory of manifold predications. These are the basics for obtaining the right knowledge. With the right knowledge comes the right faith. With right faith and right knowledge to start with, the right conduct follows. Umäsväti must be given credit to arrange these elements in proper order with respect to the process involved and the principles of human psychology. The earlier literature shows the numerical and ordinal variations. Umäsväti, thus, systematized the Jain system with a logical sequence. There are infinite numbers of living beings in this universe and every living being wants to be happy. However, everyone's approach to attain happiness is not the same. The majority depends on material things to be happy. They try to satisfy their desires by external means. Their happiness is dependent on external means. This type is a temporary happiness which is followed by unhappiness and more desires. This involves self-efforts (Purushärtha) to earn (Artha) to satisfy the desires. Our great Acharyas have labeled these types of living beings as less developed. Then there are some who depend on spiritual approaches (internal means) to be happy. These approaches are self-dependent and it involves selfefforts to practice dharma to attain everlasting happiness (Moksha). These living beings are called more developed living beings Therefore, the subject of this canonical book is everlasting happiness (Moksha) and in the first Sutra (aphorism) of the first chapter - three essential components to attain everlasting happiness (Moksha) are introduced The first verse of the first chapter is
सम्यग्दर्शनज्ञानचारित्राणिमोक्षमार्गः
deathe (1-1)
"Samyag-darshan-jnän-chäriträni Moksha Märgah". This is the nutshell of Jainism in some respect. It means that right faith, right knowledge, and right conduct collectively only are the path to liberation (Moksha). The next three verses mention the seven elements. The rest of the first chapter deals with the process of cognition and details about different types of knowledge. The details about right conduct are included in chapters eight and nine.
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JAIN PHILOSOPHY AND PRACTICE -2
