Tattvartha Sutra (with commentary)

by Vijay K. Jain | 2018 | 130,587 words | ISBN-10: 8193272625 | ISBN-13: 9788193272626

This page describes the province of the mind (mana) which is verse 2.21 of the English translation of the Tattvartha Sutra which represents the essentials of Jainism and Jain dharma and deals with the basics on Karma, Cosmology, Ethics, Celestial beings and Liberation. The Tattvarthasutra is authorative among both Digambara and Shvetambara. This is verse 21 of the chapter Category of the Living and includes an extensive commentary.

Verse 2.21 - The province of the mind (mana)

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation of Tattvartha sūtra 2.21:

श्रुतमनिन्द्रियस्य ॥ २.२१ ॥

śrutamanindriyasya || 2.21 ||

Scriptural knowledge (śrutajñāna) is the province of the mind (mana). (21)

Hindi Anvayarth:

अन्वयार्थ: [अनिन्द्रियस्य] मन का विषय [श्रुतम्] श्रुतज्ञानगोचर पदार्थ हैं अथवा मन का प्रयोजन श्रुतज्ञान है।

Anvayartha: [anindriyasya] mana ka vishaya [shrutam] shrutajnanagocara padartha haim athava mana ka prayojana shrutajnana hai |

Explanation in English from Ācārya Pūjyapāda’s Sarvārthasiddhi:

Since the mind is variable, it is not admitted to be a sense. Does it assist cognition (upayoga)? Of course, it does assist cognition (upayoga). Without the mind the senses cannot function in their province. Is assisting the senses only use of the mind or is there any other use too?

The object of scriptural knowledge (śrutajñāna) is the ‘śruta’–the knowledge in comprehensible form or the Scripture. It is the province of the mind (mana). With the help of the mind (mana), the soul (jīva) with destruction-cum-subsidence (kṣayopaśama) of scriptural-knowledge-obscuring (śrutajñānāvaraṇīya) karma, engages in attainment of the knowledge contained in the Scripture. Or, scriptural knowledge is the Scripture. It is the object of the mind. The mind is capable of accomplishing it independently, without the help of the senses. The senses are the instrumental cause of scriptural knowledge by convention (paramparā) only.

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