Book Review – S. A. Jain: Reality

Summary

In his brief book review Satyaranjan Banerjee examines the second edition of Professor S. A. Jain’s English translation of the Sarvārthasiddhi, a classical Digambara commentary by Ācārya Pūjapāda on Umāsvāmī’s Tattvārthasūtra. The work under review, titled Reality, was first published in 1960 and is widely regarded as the earliest English translation of this foundational Jain philosophical text. Banerjee welcomes the 1992 reissue by the Jwalamalini Trust and notes that the new edition contains the translator’s preface, all ten chapters of the Sarvārthasiddhi and Umāsvāmī’s 357 sūtras printed in Devanāgarī script with Roman transliteration. He summarises the scope of the text: the chapters treat faith and knowledge, the living, the non‑living, the inflow and stoppage of karmic matter, bondage, its shedding and the path to liberation. Each aphorism is accompanied by Pūjapāda’s Sanskrit commentary which Professor Jain renders into lucid English. Banerjee praises the translator for capturing not only the literal sense but also the spirit of the original and acknowledges that it is extremely difficult to convey the charm of Sanskrit in English. He observes that technical terms are rendered faithfully and that the translation enriches the study of Jain philosophy by making an important Digambara text accessible to those without knowledge of Sanskrit. The reviewer explains that Professor Jain chose the title Reality because the doctrine of anekāntavāda seeks to reconcile permanence and impermanence, monism and pluralism, identity and difference; the translation thus underscores the Jaina view of relative pluralism. Banerjee outlines the arrangement of the book, noting that each chapter begins with the original sūtra followed by a word‑for‑word glossary, the English translation and explanatory notes. A helpful index is provided but there is no independent introduction or bibliography. The volume also includes a synopsis and glossary of technical terms prepared by His Holiness Karmayogi Charukeerthi Swami of Śravaṇabelagola. Banerjee’s review is appreciative rather than critical; he is pleased that the Jwalamalini Trust has undertaken a reprint and that the affordable price will place the work within reach of students. He concludes that reading Reality is a pleasure and a mental satisfaction and that every student of Jain philosophy should own a copy.