The Uttarādhyayana-sūtra is a scripture in the Śvetāmbara canon. It belongs to the class known as Mūla-sūtras, which include the most basic texts new mendicants learn at the beginning of their monastic education. It consists of didactic chapters, stories or parables and ascetic poetry teaching the fundamentals of Jainism. For instance, it opens with a chapter on the rules of respect and politeness that all monks have to observe, especially junior ones. It ends with an extensive chapter describing the rich world of living beings according to the Jain conception.
The Uttarādhyayana-sūtra is one of the most frequently illustrated texts. Nevertheless, there are manuscripts, such as this one, which just have the Prakrit text and nothing more.
This manuscript is notable for its detailed colophon, digitised here. The manuscript is relatively old, since it was copied in 1464 CE.
Text of the colophon:
4. iti śrīUttarādhyāyanāni samāptāni //śrī// //cha// //cha// śrī: // //cha// śrī// śrī// śrī//
5. // saṃvat 1521 varṣe śrīKharataragacche śrīJinavarddhanasūri-paṭṭa-prabhu-śrīJinacaṃddhanasūri-paṭṭālaṃkāra śrīJinasāgarasūri-paṭṭa-prabhākara-śrīJinasuṃdarasūripraṃ°-paṭṭa-pra-
6. bhākara-dinakara / śrīJinaharṣasūrīṇām upadeśena / śrīMaṇḍapadurgga-vāstavya- Sotīdelhā-putra-śrī-Śatruṃjaya-mahātīrtha-yātrā-śrīJinaharṣa-sūripada-sthāpanā-sā-
7. dharmmika-vātsalyādy-aneka-puṇya-caritra-pavitrā Sodyadharaṇā-bhāryā Laṣāī-putra śrīGirināra-giri-śṛṃgāra-cāru-caturmukha-prāsāda-samuddharaṇa-
8. [X damaged syllable] raso° śrīJiṇarāja-so° śrīMāṇikyābhyāṃ bhāryā śrī° Gaurāī śrā° Hāsū so° Maṇḍalika so° baḍūyā so° Īsara so° Kuṃ-
9. [X damaged syllable]rapāla-pramukha-sāra-parivāra-yutābhyāṃ śrī-pustaka-bhāṃḍāgāre / sva-bhrātṛ- Sopanayaṇā-puṇyārthaṃ / śrīUttarādhyayanaṃ lekhayāṃ cakre / śubhaṃ bhavatu.
Not everything in this colophon is clear so a translation would be premature. However, the following observations can be made at this point.
The production of this manuscript was inspired by Jinaharṣa-sūri of the Kharatara-gaccha, one of the most powerful Śvetāmbara Mūrti-pūjak monastic orders in western India.
The monastic lineage shown here is a dissident branch of the main Kharatara-gaccha sect, known as the Pippalaka-śākhā. Jinavarddhana-sūri was its first leader, in approximately the second half of the 14th century. His successors are named here as Jinacandra-sūri, Jinasāgara-sūri, Jinasundara-sūri and Jinaharṣa-sūri. They are also known from many other sources.
The remaining part gives information about the extended family of lay Jains who were involved in getting the manuscript copied. Although not everything is clear, it seems that the family, including the women, are known for other pious activities recorded here. Given the nature of these actions, it is likely that the family was wealthy and closely devoted to Jinaharṣa-sūri, the head of the monastic order. Their other devout activities include:
- organising a pilgrimage to the holy place of Shatrunjaya in Gujarat, in which the ceremony where Jinaharṣa-sūri was given the highest monastic title – sūri, meaning pontiff or head of the monastic order – took place
- partly funding the restoration of temples in another significant Jain holy place, Mount Girnar
- other religious works in the service of Jainism – sādharmika-vātsālya.
The two persons who arranged for the manuscript to be copied did it for the benefit of their brother. This means that it was done in his memory after he had died.
Text ends – colophon