Article: Tattvārtha-sūtra

Gods enjoy life in the heavens
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The Tattvārtha-sūtra is divided into ten chapters or adhyāyaya without titles.

To translate the distribution of Tattvārtha-sūtra material into modern terms, it is convenient to follow K. K. Dixit’s analysis (Ref. 3: 1974: 1):

it takes up in its first chapter problems pertaining to epistemology,
in the second those pertaining to an empirical study of the animate world,
in the third and fourth those pertaining to mythological cosmography,

In the latest English translation of the work, called That Which Is and published in 1994, the ten chapters have been given the following titles:

1. The Categories of Truth
2. The Nature of the Soul
3. The Lower and Middle Regions
4. The Gods
5. Substances
6. The Inflow of Karma
7. The Vows
8. Karmic Bondage
9. Inhibiting and Wearing Off Karma
10. Liberation

Five-sensed animals
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The basics of the Jain system are specifically mentioned here.

The aim is to be liberated or to reach salvation. This means to become free from the cycle of rebirth and leave for ever the world of transmigration. Hence the Tattvārtha-sūtra is also known by the name Mokṣa-sūtra or Aphorisms for Salvation.

A believer can reach salvation by following the principles of correct faith, correct understanding and correct conduct. The way these terms are arranged in the original text emphasises that all three together are necessary. They form the triplet commonly known as the ‘three gems’ or ‘three jewels’ – ratna-traya.

These terms are far from being obvious, and have been the starting point of considerable discussion, especially darśana – ‘faith, vision, intuition’. It comes first because it means that, before anything else, the individual must at least have a positive approach to the doctrine he is going to learn about and begin acting out. If he refuses certain basic principles at the start, there is no need for him to continue. Thus it is a crucial first step.

In practice, it means belief in tattvas. This means recognising the existence and truth of certain ‘realities’, ‘principles’ or ‘that which is’.

‘Five Great Vows’
Image by Shree Diwakar Prakashan © public domain

Chapter 1 can be thought of as the base of the building because it deals with understanding, types of knowledge and ways of knowing a given object.

Chapter 7 is central to Jain ethics because it deals with the vows – vrata – of the ascetics and householders. Placing it between chapters on how karma enters and is bound to the soul is justified by the fact that the way one behaves or the vows one observes decide karmic inflow and binding.

In this sense, they foreshadow the spiritual exercises that are covered in later chapters. These spiritual exercises are ways of destroying karmic particles or preventing the inflow of new ones.

Monk and pupils
Image by Chandu Shah © Chandu Shah

Understanding the meaning of each and every word of the aphorisms is not an easy task and thus the Tattvārtha-sūtra has sparked considerable activity in the form of commentaries. Both Digambara and Śvetāmbara scholar-monks have contributed to this body of work, ranging from simple explanations to, more often, very learned commentaries.

The earliest commentary is called Bhāṣya. According to the Śvetāmbaras, Umāsvātī himself created it, so they call this Bhāṣya svopajña, that is Written by [the author of the text] Himself.

The Digambaras dispute this and consider the Bhāṣya to be much later.

Among the prominent commentaries the Digambaras have written are:

• the Sarvārthasiddhi, written by Pūjyapāda in the 6th century
• Akalaṅka’s Rājavārttika, composed in the 8th century
• Vidyānanda’s 9th-century Ślokavārtika.

Influential Śvetāmbara commentaries include:

• Siddhasena-gaṇi or Gandhahastin’s 8th-century work
• the commentary by Haribhadra, written in the 8th century
• Pandit Sukhlalji’s text, composed in the 20th century.

Originally in Gujarati, this last work has been translated into English and is extremely valuable in understanding the principles of Jainism.

Hermann Jacobi
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The first translation of the Tattvārtha-sūtra into a Western language was a German edition published in 1906 by Hermann Jacobi, one of the pioneering Western scholars in the field of Jain studies.

There are other significant texts in the Jain faith but several descriptions of Jain philosophy found in various European manuals are based on the Tattvārtha-sūtra because it gives the essence of Jain belief and presents it in a sūtra style. An example is Frauwallner’s 1956 presentation of Jain philosophy in his German-language publication, Geschichte der indischen Philosophie – History of Indian Philosophy.