Jaina Karmaology

Author(s): N L Jain
Publisher: Parshwanath Vidyapith

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Jaina Karmology
17 canons were lost to memory and canonical scriptures were traditionally oral by his time. He became pontif of his lineage at the age of 44 and continued this position creditably until his death at the age of 84 as per J.L. Jaini. Thus, the reasonable period of the aphorist is 215-299 A.D. reasonably a third century aphorist. He had an able disciple named Balā ka-piccha and grand - disciple named as Gusanandi.
He composed the 'Tattvārtha-Sutra’ at Kusumpur (current Patna, Bihar) or Urjayanta (Girnar, Gujrat - in those times in southern side) at the request of a righteous votary for the benefit of human kind. This he might have done at a mature age of roughly 50 Years, i.e. in later half of the third century A.D. ( The composition of autocommentary and at least 'Prasama-rati-prakarana' is also ascribed to him under debate from one side). It is pleasing to learn that there is at least one author from the north (?) on whom Digambaras stake their claim as most of the early Digambara seers and authors belong to the south. He also seems to belong to the South rather than north. Acārya Virasena mentions southern and northern postulates on many occasions indicating differences of opinion on many issues between the two. However, Tattvārtha Sūtra is a highly systematic text as above and prior to these contentions.
Looking from the current trends of biography, the above sketch seems to be quite incomplete as there are no details about his work and activities during such a long life-span. Nevertheless, we can have a respectful idea about the aphorist from what we have in different sources. The Tattvārtha Sutra (Aphorismic Treatise on Reals) : Text and Contents
The scholars have pointed out that the Tattvärtha Sūtra is the crowning achievement for systematically summarising the concepts and issues related to the Jaina philosophy, ethics, logic and mythology. It is a monumental work of Umāsvāti. It has developed and described the contents in a coordinated way and created a landmark in the history of Jaina Church by initiating many new and better-presented issues of contemporary importance like (i) the precise formulation of three-fold path of salvation (ii) seven-fold spiritual reals involving the five noble truths (iii) definition of living in volitional terms and consciousness (iv) Karma theory (v) six-fold realities of physical world (vi) concepts of standpoints and organs of valid cognitions (vii) disquisitional