Traverses on Less Trodden Path of Indian Philosophy and Religion

Author(s): Yajneshwar S Shastri
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

Page 62

PRAŠAMARATIPRAKARANA AND COMMENTARIES ON IT
introduchtal princed, he is
Prasamaratiprakarana (PRP.) is attributed to Umāsvāti. Umäsväti, reverently adored as the Ācārya Umāsvāti Vācaka, belongs to the galaxy of master-minds of the Jaina literary world holding a pre-eminent place among intellectuals and saints of Jaina community. His contribution to Jaina Pbilosophy, Religion, Ethics, Logic, Psychology and Cosmology is unparalleled in the line of Jaina writers. The position which he occupies among the Jaina authors is of a unique character, As far as the available literature of the Jainas is concerned, he is the first among the Jaina masters to present fundamental principles of Jainism in Sankrit language. The credit of introducing sūtra form in Jaina philosophical literature goes to this author.1 It is he who has first adopied Sanskrit poetic media to propagate Jaina philosophy and ethics. He is the first man who has laid down solid foundation on which beautiful palace of later Jainism is erected. He is the first great writer and saint, respected highly and admired by all the sects developed within the Jaina community, His profound scholarly writings have left unimaginable impact on the later writers and some of his works, especially Tatvārthasūtra (TS.) and PRP have proved to be a milch-cow for later commentators for quotations, that at once indicates the authoritative character of his works.
Umāsvāti was an eminent writer in those days and the tradition attributes to him not less than five hundred treatises called prakaranagranthas. 8 At the present state of our knowledge, it is very difficult to accept this traditional view. At present TS. with Svapo jñabhāşya, PRP, Jambudvi pasamdsa, Sravaka prajna pri and Pujāprakarana are accepted as works of Umasväti. But it appears that he might have written few more texts handed down to us, because certain verses attributed to
1. TS. with Siddhasenagaạitīkā, part I and II, ed. H.R. Kapadia, Pub. J.S. Javeri,
Bombay, 1926 and 1930. 2. PRP. with Haribhadra's commentary, Pub : S.D. Lalbhai Jaina Pustakoddhara
Samstha, Surat (a) sa ca Śrīmānumisvātināmā mahātārkikak prakaranapanca'satikartā ācārya suprasidho abhavar. Abbayadevasūri, Pancāsakavytti, p. 122, (b) 'Pafica'sataprakaranaprabandhapraneta', PRPV Introduction. (c) Jinaprabhasari · Vividhatirthakalpa, Part-I, P-69, Pub. Singhi Jaina Inaga
pooth, Santipikotan, 1934.