Syadvadamanjari of Mallisena with the Anyayoga- Vyavaccheda- Dvatrimsika of Hemachandra

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Syädvadamañjart is a commentary by Mallisena on Anyayoga-Vyavaccheda- lived in the time of Siddharaja Jayasimha and his successor, Kumarpala, two famous kings of Gujarat in the first and second half of the twelfth century of the Christian era.

This work discusses threadbare the multitudinous variety of problems man has to deal with vis-a-vis this world and the world beyond. It deals with the problem of permanence versus change or the eternal versus the transitory, and shows how the arguments and the counter arguments advanced by each of the two sides annihilate each other. It expatiates on the sanctity of all life, the state of emancipated souls, the theory of Knowledge, the nature of reality etc. In short, it discusses ontological, metaphysical, epistemological and ethical issues which form the core of Jainism. It treats highly complicated issues of Philosophy in an erudite, lucid but scholarly manner. It supports its thesis by sophisticated but eloquent and easy to grasp arguments. It closely examines the doctrinal positions of the Carvakas, Buddhist, Särikiya, Mimärisaka, Nyaya, Vaišesika schools of Indian Philosophy. It lays bare the limitations of the theories propounded by these schools of thought and goes on to explicate the celebrated Jain doctrine of Naya (forms).

The principle that lays down systematically these Nayas (forms) is called Syadvada or Saptbhangi Naya. This principle demonstrates how one and the same thing may be viewed synthetically or analytically, as one or as many; as one substance or as many attributes or modes. An idea of the importance of this principle can be had from the fact that Mahatma Gandhi recognized the pragmatic utility of this principle in the affairs of the day to day life. He acknowledged his indebtedness to this principle when he said that he, no less than hís critics, had a valid position, on a particular issue as each took his stand from his particular point of view. This is what constitutes essence of Syadvada. In fact, Syadvadamañjarl which dilates at length on this principle, occupied the pride of place in the reading list of Mahatma Gandhi.

The present edition of Syadvadamañjari was first published in 1933 with a long introduction and exhaustive notes by Professor A.B. Dhruva. The book has been out of print for a long time now. The reprint is now being brought out to fulfil a long-felt need of teachers, students and scholars as well as lay persons who are interested in Indian Philosophy in general and Jainism in particular.

2024 (Reprint), cxxv+180+379 174 pp., 3 appen., bibl., ind., 23 cms.

It is wrongly presumed by many that Jainism is other-worldly. By this they mean that Jainism is concerned only with Moksa, the world after death, the methods of attaining it and that it offers no solutions to problems of the lived world. They look on Jainism as a religion of asceticism and regard it as an uncritical and blind faith in many gods and deities. They believe that Jainism is primarily concerned with laying down various rituals and ceremonics dedicated to these gods and deities. According to them, Jainism offers no critique of other religions, or lays down any plan for social transformation with the consequence that it has become irrelevant to the contemporary modern world and its attendant life style.

I undertook to edit the Syådvådamafijari many years ago, but other interests and preoccupations held up the work for a long time. Eventually I mustered up the 'will to do' and did it, but I regret that the press-copy could not be carried through the press as expeditiously as I had wished. This was due to a number of causes (which it is useless to relate), of which dilatoriness of the press was not one. In fact, I am grateful to Dr. S. K. Belvalkar, sometime Superintendent of the Bombay Sanskrit and Prakrit Series and now Secretary of the B. O. R. Institute, and to the Manager of the Tatva- Vivechaka Press for the infinite patience they have shown in putting up with the delay. My thanks are also due to Mr. Narvane for noting the Various Readings of the Text; also to Mr. Bhaskara Datta Misra, M.A., LL.B., of the Sanskrit Depart- ment of the Central Hindu College for arranging the items of the Iudex (both English and Sanskrit) in alphabetical order.

'???????????????' is a commentary by Mallisena on '???????????- ???????? ????????????? of Hemacandra, the great Jaina scholar, preacher and author, who lived in the time of Siddharaja Jayasimha and his successor, Kumarapâla, two famous kings of Gujarat in the first and the second half of the twelfth century of the Christian era. Not much is known about the personal history of Mallisena, except what he himself has told us at the end of the Syâlvâdamanjari, that he was a disciple of Udayaprabhasûri, and that he composed and completed his work on "Saturday, Asvina Krsua Amavasya in the Saka year 1214† with the help of Jinaprabhasûri."