Tattvartha sutra

Author(s): Umaswati, Umaswami, D S Baya
Publisher: Agam Ahimsa Samta Evam Prakrit Samsthan

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INTRODUCTION : XXI
unknown in the realm of Jaina philosophical literature. 4. His Genius - Given the aforementioned three motivating factors, the author could not have created this treatise if he was lacking in the gift of genius with which he was abundantiy endowed. His gerius, therefore, was also a potent motivating factor.
The Objective
Whenever an Indian author of spiritual genre - be it Kanāda of the 'Vaišeśika', Gautama of the Nyāya', Krsna of
Sārkhya', or the exponents of the ‘Yoga', 'Brahma-Mīmāmsa' or the four Ārya-satya (noble truths) of the Buddhists - creates a treatise on his subject, he keeps the ultimate objective of spiritual salvation in front of him; even when he writes a work on as wide and varied mundane and metaphysical subjects as economics, libido, astronomy or medicine or spiritual subjects as knowledge of fundamental verities, yoga, etc. All such treatises begin with the enunciation of spiritual salvation as their ultimate aim and conclude them in the similar fashion as well. Jaina philosophical works have also been created in keeping with this tradition and so has Vācaka Umāsvāti created this treatise with an ultimate objective of spiritual salvation for the faithful readers of his work.
The Style -
Before Umāsvāti the Jaina scriptural treatises were created in the form of lengthy, descriptive and repetitive aphorisms (Sūtras) just like the Bauddha-Pịtakas. On the other hand the Brahminical literature created by the learned Brahmin scholars were in concise Samiskrta aphorisms. This latter style had come to