Some Jaina Canonical Sutras c27.2

c27.2

The *Uttarādhyayana* is one of the *Mūla* sūtras. Śīlāṅka and Malayagiri include it under *Isibhāsiya* (utterances of the sages). Siddhasena holds this view. The *Uttarādhyayana* is one of the texts found among the *Aṅgabāhyas* occurring in the canon of the Śvetāmbaras. It is one of the earliest sacred writings of the Jainas and one of the most valuable portions of the canon. The work consisting of 36 sections is a compilation of various texts belonging to different periods. It is metrical in its main part. It is really not the work of a single author. This text is held in the same estimation as the Buddhist texts of the *Dhammapada* and the *Suttanipāta*. It contains admonitions to pupils, explanations of four most precious things, of *karma* and sins, etc. Its intention as rightly pointed out by Jacobi (*Jaina Sūtras*, II, p. xxxix) is to instruct a young monk in his principal duties to commend to him the ascetic life by precepts and examples and to warn him against the dangers in his religious life. Winternitz rightly holds that in this text we meet with a number of beautiful old *Itihāsa* dialogues and ballads of ascetic poetry.¹ The latter part of the *Uttarādhyayana* consists of chapters containing purely dogmatical expositions. There is legendary matter as well as matter of a general religious and moral character. The text contains scanty historical and geographical information. The *Uttarādhyayana-niryukti* which contains less than 600 verses gives us some help in understanding the meanings of some passages of the text. This text has been edited with an introduction, critical notes, and a commentary by Jarl Charpentier, Upsala, 1922. Śānti Ācārya's commentary published in Devchand Lalbhai Jaina Pustakoddhāra Series Nos. 33, 36, and 41 is worthy of notice. Jacobi has translated this text and the *Sūtrakṛtāṅga* into English in the *Sacred Books of the East* Series. Another edition by Muni Śrī Jayanta Vijaya with a commentary by Kamalasamyama (Agra, 1923-27) in three volumes may be mentioned.