Studies In Umasvati And His Tattvartha Sutra

Author(s): G C Tripathi, Ashokkumar Singh
Publisher: Bhogilal Laherchand Institute of Indology

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20 Studies in Umāsvāti
modes and ideas in the formulation of their dārśanic and postdārśanic works. The Svetāmbara sect, though using these works for extracting quotations, could hardly get out of the archaic and outmoded styles and the laborious and relatively unorganized (since stratified) dogmatic and scholastic content of the āgamic category. (Examples illustrating these differing trends are much too numerous
to be illustrated here.) 28. Kondakundācārya is a post-classical Jaina philosopher who used
every advancement made in the classical and late classical age— by Umāsvāti, Siddhasena Divākara, Samantabhadra, and Pūjaya-pāda Devanandi—using as he did their paradigms and thoughts and went farther with the help of some of the tenets of the Sāňkhya and the revivalist Vedānta systems of philosophy. (Conversely, the influence of his enormous application of the niscayanaya and of the guņa-paryāya aspects of all dravyas (substances), etc. his new definitions of the known terms, his novel view of creating categories and viewing at the intrinsic nature of 'Self' is not discernible in any of the previous Jaina thinkers). No further progress had been done after his profound achievements. Unfortunately, in modern times, the essence of his metaphysics has been in part and in practice misunderstood and has largely led to and ended up in absolutist attitude (ekāntavāda), strongly tinged with hate and disrespect for other sects, and an air of superiority strongly reflecting the māna
kasāya loftier than any mānastambha ever erected or built. 29. While this can be clearly discerned, the detailed assessment and
adequate verbalization of this fact is yet to be done. 30. Let us hope and see if the sectarian steadfastness and fundamentalist
fanatical attitudes are given up, a condition that could allow us to work out the true and accurate history of Nirgranthism/Jainism. That can, then, permit its orderly phasewise unravelling instead of the current confused, and in some instances topsy-tervy situations with regard to the chronology of ths creeds' great pontiffs, their works, and their pervasive influences and consequences arising therefrom.
P.S. I am grateful to Shri Madhav N. Katti for reading through the transcription of the quoted Sanskrit verses into Roman script.