Study of Tattvarthasutra with Bhasya

Author(s): Suzuko Ohira
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

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CHAPTER III
A HISTORICAL EVALUATION OF THE T. S
Sec. 1. SOURCE MATERIALS OF THE T. S. AND THEIR ORGANIZATION
A historical evaluation of the T. S. must be assessed on the basis of 1) Umasvati's performance in composing the T.S, 2) Its capacity of influencing the post-Umäsväti authors, and 3) Its position held in the literary history of the Jainas. The first problem is taken up in Sec. I Source materials of the T. S. and their organization. The second category of problem becomes self-evident while handling the relevant problems in in Sec.II-III, even though the exhaustive inquiries into this matter are not possible within the limited scope of this study Sec.II References to the T.S. in the Agamic commentaries up to the 10th century A. D. Sec.III Some problems in the T. S. The third problem is handled in Sec. IV Historical position of the T.S.
That the T.S. is a compendium of seven tattvas derived by way of epitomizing the canonical contents as so pronounced in the s.kärikä 22 has been already endorsed by Atmarama in his Tattvarthasutra jaināgamasamanvaya, wherein he traced the Digambara recension of the T. S. sūtra by sutra in the canonical body. The T.S. has stood the test of time as the standard work of Jaina philosophy, as it inclusively represents the essential Jaina doctrines peculiar to this system so far developed in the canon, which are lucidly discerned from those of the non-Jaina systems and which are. presented in the concisely organized form. In view of this and with a view to evaluating his performance in composing the T.S, an attempt is made in this section to examine the mechanism of the organization of its source materials, both Jaina and non-Jaina, used for the composition of each chapter of the T.S., in order to clarify which concepts were in what way derived from the Agama, which concepts. were in what way distinguished from those of the other schools, which concepts were in what way improved or for nulated by Umasvati, and how these were put together in the text. Some important concepts proposed by him are further discussed independently in Sec. III.
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