आरंम्भिक (प्रकाशकीय)
By प्रकाशचन्द्र जैन, नरेशकुमार सेठी
Summary
This is the nineteenth issue of 'Jainavidya', the research journal of the Jainavidya Institute, operated by the Digambar Jain Atishay Kshetra Shri Mahavirji. It is presented as a special 'Nemichandra' issue. Acharya Nemichandra, of the Nandi Sangh Deshiya Gana, was a brilliant, spiritually profound, and authoritative master of karmic philosophy from the eleventh century Vikram era. He compiled the essence of voluminous doctrinal texts, which had become difficult for common people to study and recite. He authored the Gommatasara (Jivakanda and Karmakanda), Labdhisara, Kshapanasara, and Trilokasara. His works are so original and fundamental that they are respected as independent texts. For his doctrinal contributions, he was honored with the title 'Siddhantachakravarti'. The journal expresses gratitude to the scholars who contributed their writings to this issue. The editor, co-editor, and editorial board of this issue are acknowledged. The publication is under the auspices of Prakashchandra Jain and Nareshkumar Sethi, Minister and President respectively of the Managing Committee, Digambar Jain Atishay Kshetra Shri Mahavirji.
Conclusion
This special issue on Ācārya Nemicandra establishes his eleventh-century works as essential, not merely derivative, for understanding Digambara Jain doctrine. By extracting the core of vast, inaccessible scriptures into texts like the Gommaṭasāra and Trilokasāra, he created a practical canon for both scholars and practitioners. The outcome is a re-centering of Jain intellectual history, positioning Nemicandra’s systematic synthesis as the primary gateway to karma theory and cosmology. Consequently, future research must engage directly with his sāra literature, recognizing it as the definitive framework that shaped subsequent philosophical discourse. This volume’s collected studies will likely catalyze a critical reassessment of medieval Jain scholasticism, moving Nemicandra from a mere commentator to the pivotal architect of a living, applicable tradition.