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JAIN JOURNAL Vol-XXX No.1. JULY 1995 into 6 parts. In part one he has discussed the origin of Indian drama and Sattaka. In this section the author is more elaborate on the origin of Indian drama or the Sanskrit drama rather than on the Sattaka. In part two (the extant Saţtakas) he has given the available six Saţtakas as mentioned by Upadhye in the introduction to his ChandralekhaSattaka. In part three the author discusses Prakrit dialects and metres of Saţtaka. This portion could have been a separate thesis altogether, but the author's discussion was a little different. Mostly what he has discussed in this portion is the different readings concerning different editions. In part four the author has depicted the contemporary social life as reflected in the six Sațţakas. This portion is straightforward and nothing in particular can be gleaned out of the study of these Sattakas. The part five gives us the literary value and historical significance of the Sattaka literature. These last two parts are in general straightforward and not, from that point of view, comparative. The part six is practically the conclusion of the study of his findings.
Incidentally it should be mentioned that Sten Know, the first critical editor of the Karpūramanjari has given a nice bibliography available till then (1902) and this is not very much supplemented by Dr
kar even after a lapse of 90 years of Sattaka studies. In fact bibliography in this book is the weakest point in all his discussions. I believe this study will be welcome by the learned reader and also I hope this book will inspire the younger generation to undertake similar types of works in the field of Prakrit literature.
Satya Ranjan Banerjee
Virchand Raghavji Gandhi-Religion and Philosophy of the Jainas, ed by Nagin J. Shah, Jain International, Ahmedabad, 1993, Price Rs. 80.00.
N.J. Shah, former Director of L.D. Institute of Indology, Ahmedabad, deserves special thanks for editing V.R. Gandhi's Religion and the Philosophy of the Jains. Late Virchand Raghavji Gandhi was an outstanding exponent of Jainism at the World Parliament of Religion held at Chicago in 1893. This publication is a part of the centenary celebration of that first Parliament. Gandhi in the first part of his book has discussed the cultural environment in which grew the Jain philosophy. In the subsequent five sections Jain philosophy along with its implication with karma is discussed in a sort of detailed way. The book expounds the Jain view with regard to the soul, universe, God, Karma, spiritual evolution and many other sundry things connected with Jain Philosophy. The presentation is authentic and rational, inspiring and thought-provoking, convincing and brief.
Jain Education International
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