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BOOK REVIEW
1. OUTLINES OF JAINISM by S. Gopalan: Wiley Eastern Private Ltd., New Delhi, 1973: Pages vii+205 Price Rs. 12.00
2. MAHATIRTH PAVAPURI (in Hindi) by B. L. Nahata with a foreword by Bijoy Singh Nahar Sri Jain Svetambar Seva Samiti, Calcutta, 1973: Pages 80: Price .50 Paise.
1. Arising out of course-work at the Centre of Advanced Study in Philosophy in the University of Madras, the first book under review is a delightful study on one of the oldest religions of India. Though meant primarily for the use of advanced students of Philosophy, the book will be found useful even by the general readers. The author's assertion that "Jainism can be best understood in the light of Indian tradition as a whole", and that "the richness of Indian culture could be appreciated better by delving deep into the various aspects of the Jaina philosophy" is aptly justified in his competent presentation of the subject.
There is justification for his apologia that "the comprehensive vision and the depth of understanding that are characteristic of the Jaina philosophers do not justify spanning the tradition within a meagre 200 pages". But at the same time the fact remains that people have neither time nor patience for encyclopaedic works. If we accept the maxim that something is better than nothing, then this little book is expected to serve a useful purpose and create a place for itself.
There are not many good books on Jainism as a whole in the English language that are based on both the Svetambara and the Digambara traditions. Clearly, the author has drawn from both. He has considered Jaina metaphysics, epistemology, psychology and ethics in the light of the source materials, indicating the sources in footnotes. For the more advanced, there is bibliography in the end.
The inclusion of Acarya Tulsi's anuvrata movement as a final chapter in the book shows that the author has a sympathetic understanding of the potentiality of Jainism in contemporary life. In the Jaina tradition, anuvrata is, or at least should be, the life's programme for a lay follower; as mahavrata is a must for the monk. Acarya Tulsi has been the first to emphasize that aṇuvrata is a non-sectarian ideology that can
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