Tattva Chintamani

Author(s): Nagin G Shah
Publisher: B L Institute of Indology

Page 9

Foreword The central aims of our Institute are to preserve ancient manuscripts, editing and publishing unpublished works, and disseminating knowledge on ancient and medieval India. Pursuant to these aims, we are happy to publish the Sukhbodhika Tippanika written by a late medieval Jaina scholar, Vacaka Gunaratna. This work deals with the subjects like upadhi and badha. Gunaratna's work embodies the criticism on those subjects that were discussed in the famous work, the Tattvacintamani of Gangesa Upadhyaya, a versatile exponent of 'Navya-nyaya.' As a result, he was also known as Tarkika siromani.' The 'Navya-nyaya' reached the scholars in this sphere in the whole of India within a short span of time because of its extremely subtle and direct style and content. The 'Navya-nyaya'dates from c. the 12 cent. A. D. The prevalence of logic in those centuries was so wide that this new approach and nyaya methodology influenced the field of darsana. The study of this important school of logic, in that period, became an essential part of learning. And massive critical literature grew around the Tattvacintamani. The Jaina mendicant-scholars, too, got interested in the study of this new school of Indian logic. They also composed some works after studying the Navyanyaya. Vacaka Gunaratna, was one of them. The work in question, until this date, had remained unpublished. The erudite scholar of Jaina Vidya, Pt. Dalsukhbhai Malvaniya, had recommended to edit the aforenoted work while discussing the future study and publication programme of our Institute. The only single available manuscript of this work is in the holdings of the L. D. Institute of Indology. We next planned to publish this work in book form, approached Prof. Nagin J. Shah, and requested him to edit this work. To our delight, he agreed this rare work. We are grateful to Dr. Shah for diligently editing this work. We are likewise thankful to the Institute's Management and its members for making the manuscript available. We express our thanks to Kanubhai Bhavsar for the elegant printing of this work. .. We hope that, this book will be useful to those who are interested in Indian philosophy and Navya-nyaya system of logic. Jitendra B. Shah