This book is an analysis of the philosophical chapters of the Tattvarthadhigama (TA), a foundational text for the Jaina tradition and the first text that presented the Jaina worldview in a clear and systematic way. The book also includes the first English translation of its oldest commentary, the Tattvarthadhigamabhasya (TABh). Focusing on the philosophical sections of the TA and TABh, which deviate from the traditional views and introduce several new concepts for the Jaina tradition, the analysis suggests that the TA and the TABh were written by different authors, and that both texts contain several historical layers. The texts reflect aspects of the concurrent intellectual movements, and the textual analysis includes comparisons with the views of other schools, such as the Nyaya and Vaisesika traditions, and offers an in-depth analysis of the philosophical content of these works. The appendix contains an English translation from the original Sanskrit text of the TA and provides the first English translation of the commentary on these passages from the TABh. Situating the text in the wider history of Indian philosophy, the book offers a better understanding of the role of the Jainas in the history of Indian thought. It will be of interest to those studying Indian philosophy, Indian thought and Asian Religions.

Puspika Volume 4 contains the proceedings of the seventh International Indology Graduate Research Symposium (Leiden 2015). The fourteen papers included here cover a rich variety of topics related to the intellectual traditions of South Asia such as grammar, poetry and philosophy, examined from a plurality of disciplinary perspectives, with a particular emphasis on philology, history and sociology. The first four articles of focus on the Sanskrit language, from the strictly linguistic and historical perspective to the wider political issue of its uses and abuses. The second section deals with issues in poetry, aesthetics and performative arts, ranging from classical Sanskrit mahakavyas to contemporary Kathak dance. The third section is focused on the philosophical traditions of South Asia (and beyond), with an eye to both a strictly historical approach and a more argumentative and evaluative one. Finally material culture and its relations to both the historical and the ideological are the themes treated in the last section of the volume.