Tattvarthadhigamsutram Part 1

Author(s): Umaswati, Umaswami, Hiralal R Kapadia
Publisher: Jivanchandra Sakarchandra

Page 44

Life of the Author
As already pointed out Tattvārthādhigama Sutra with some minor differences here and there is held in high estimation by the two main sections of the Jainas. Hence it is not surprising, if each section gives a different account of the life of the author of this great work. So, first of all, I shall give an account of it as accepted by the Svetāmbaras.
Umāsvāti was born in the city of Nyagrodhikā. The name of his father was Svāti, while that of his mother Umā. From this it appears that his name is a combination of the names of his parents, a fact inversely reflected in the case of Sri Bappabhattisūri, the author of Chaturvimśatikā, who was so named after his father's and mother's name Bappa and Bhatti. The Gotra or the lineage of his father and consequently of the author was Kaubhishani, while that of his mother, Vätsi.
As very little is known even about the exact period of his life, it is but natural that one cannot precisely say when he entered the order of the saints by cutting asunder the ties that bound him to the world. It is, however, suggested in the colophon given at the end of the Bhāshya that our author composed this great work dealing with almost every doctrine or dogma of the Jainas either explicitly expressed or implied in the city of Kusumapura (modern Patna in Bihar and Orissa), after he had renounced the world. He was a pupil of Sri Ghoshanandi who was the grand disciple (Praśishya) of Sivaśrī the Vāchakamukhya.1
Our author, too, has this appellation of Vāchaka added to his name. This is corroborated even by Madhavāchārya the author of Sarvadarsana-sangraha, who calls him Umāsvāti Vachakāchārya.
Our author has composed 32 2Sambandha-Kārikās or the connective verses as an introduction to the Sūtras he composed. Over and above this he has elucidated these Sütras by composing the 3Bhāshya or the gloss therein.
Furthermore, he is the author of Praśamarati, 4Śrāvakaprajñapti etc., the number of these works known as Prakaranas being 500.
i Vachaka means one conversant with the Purvas, that constitute one of the main divisions of the 12th Anga forming a twelfth part of the Jaina āgama (canon).
2 These verses have been commented upon by several saints out of whom Śri Devaguptasuri and Sri Siddhasenagani deserve special mention in this connection.
3 This Bhashya is very exquisitely elucidated by Sri Siddhasenagani.
4 Śrāvaka-prajnapti, a Māgadhi work commented upon by Sri Haribhadrasuri, is a work of Śrī Umāsvāti or no is a question still undecided, since another work in Sanskrit bearing the same name is reported to be attributed to our author, though it is not available at present.