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Preface
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on them, mceting and refuting contemporary philosophical tenets with a view to substantiate the stand of Samantabhadra, The Svayambhustotra and Stutividya arc fine pieces of elegant Sanskrit poetry but not without logical and rhetorical flashes. If these hymnal works of Samantabhadra establish the outstanding character of Jaina Divinity, his Ratnakarandaka is a systematic exposition of the duties of a pious layman. According to Samantabhadra Jainism is not only a metaphysically sound system but also a practical way of living as well, and his works fully testify to this.
The Ratnakarandaka-Sravakachara, as it is popularly known, or the Samichina-Dharmasastra, as Pt. Jugalkishoreji aptly calls it, is really a Casket of Gems. The title is significant, because the work is a systematic exposition of three gems, namely, Right Faith, Right Knowledge and Right Conduct which constitute the path of liberation, and secondly because it is a collection of gems of didactic verses in chastc Sanskrit. Its contents are clear-cut and systematic; the way of presentation is neat and wellarranged; the style is clear and lucid; the Sanskrit language is handlcd inost precisely and
