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Glory of Jain Culture
STUDIES ON BIOLOGY IN TATTVARTHA SUTRA (FOMULAE ON REALS)
N.L. Jain,
Jain Kendra, Rewa, M.P.
Introduction
second to fourth century C.E. and containing the formulae of freedom or release from worldly woes leading to ultimate happiness. Its scholarly popularity can be judged from the number of its commentaries in many lauguages from fifth century onwards to date.
One does not know when the animistic Jain System became dualistic or pluralistic. However, Tattvartha Sutra (Formulae on Reals)' is the first Sanskrit Jain text propounding Jinstic pluralism of seven reals and six realities. Its author has been an area of scholarly dispute with respect to his name (Aryadeva, Grddhapiccha, Umasvati, Umasvami), lineage, location and ideology. Overlooking the earlier tradition of modesty towards the omniscients, in not giving encomium in texts desregarding historical perspective and basing arguments on sufficiently late epigraphic (11th century onwards), literary (4th century onwards), lineage and contental evidences, many scholars have started not only calling the Digambara tradition as southern tradition (only) despite the fact that Mahavira and other victors propagated it throughout north and south of India but that almost all their current canon - like texts are post fifth century C.E. This trend should be scholastically reversed with proper studies and publications for conceptual globalisation of this church. However, it is pleasing to note that Tattvartha Sutra is an exceptional text which is recognised as a pre- schismic text covering a period of
The text contains 10 chapters with 357 (or 344) aphorisms covering details about the basic concepts on reals and realities. The living being is the first real (and reality also) related/associated with all others. Though realitywise, it numerically forms about 15% only, but the text has 35% chapters and 40% .. aphorism dealing with the living. Incidentally, it is interesting to point out that the aphorisms do not contain the term 'Atma' (Soul) at all, the term Jiva' also being found in 11 places. It seems that the term 'Soul' could not have become popular in Jain system upto the age of Tattvartha Sutra. It entered through the same process as the terms 'Dravya' (Reality) in place of 'Existents' and the term “Visesa' (Particularity) in place of 'mode'. The Jain Seers tried to establish equivalance in terminology with other philosophies and they accepted the term Atma' (Soul) for
Jiva' or living like the terms 'Sense perception' and 'Supra-sensual perception'
Studies on Biology in Tattvartha Sutra (Formulae on Reals)
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