Gleanings: Jaina Manuscripts in Soviet Collection

Summary

“Gleanings: Jaina Manuscripts in Soviet Collection” is a short note reporting on the unexpected wealth of Jain manuscripts preserved in Soviet libraries. The author states that more than 140 manuscripts are recorded, including multiple copies of the canonical Ācārāṅga‑sūtra and the Kalpa‑sūtra, as well as works of scholastic commentary, ritual manuals and storytelling literature. The Kalpa‑sūtra, a Śvetāmbara canonical scripture written partly in prose and partly in verse, is among the most fundamental Jain textshttps://jainpedia.org/themes/principles/sacred-writings/highlights-of-jainpedia/kalpa-sutra/#:~:text=The%20Kalpa,prose%20and%20partly%20in%20verse. It recounts the lives of the 24 Jinas and sets out monastic rules, and its importance is linked to the Paryuṣaṇ festival when the text is traditionally recited and copied. Because the Kalpa‑sūtra is copied annually, there are numerous surviving manuscriptshttps://jainpedia.org/themes/principles/sacred-writings/highlights-of-jainpedia/kalpa-sutra/#:~:text=Indeed%2C%20the%20text%E2%80%99s%20special%20importance,there%20are%20numerous%20surviving%20manuscripts, some of which, such as the Kalpalatā commentary, are listed among the Soviet holdings. The report notes that the collection contains commentaries on the Kalpa‑sūtra such as the Kalpadruma‑kalikā by Lakṣmīvilābha and the Kalpalatā, and manuscripts of Haribhadra’s Daśavaikālika‑bhāṣya and other Cheda‑sūtra commentaries. Ritual texts like the Sāmāyika manual for daily worship, Hemacandra’s Pariśiṣṭaparva (on Jain history) and the Prakrit gāthā collection Pravacanasāroddhāra are also present. The list continues with narrative works such as Śīlanka’s Ācārikaṭikā (a commentary on the Ācārāṅga‑sūtra), Munisundara’s Traividyā‑gṛhasti (instructions on conversing with educated Brahmins), Ratnaśekhara’s Ācārāpradīpa (a moral treatise), Puṇyapāda’s Upāsakācāra (a guide for lay practitioners) and the pedagogical text Praśnottara‑ratna‑mālā. The note remarks that both Digambara and Śvetāmbara texts are represented, including the Daśavaikālika and Somadeva’s Padmapurāṇa (a Jain version of the Rāma story). Several manuscripts are collections of hymns, pūjā manuals and didactic stories. The article is primarily descriptive, but by listing these works it demonstrates the breadth of Jain literature and hints at the global dispersion of Jain manuscripts. The inclusion of essential canonical texts like the Kalpa‑sūtra underscores the importance of this scripture, which plays a central role during the Paryuṣaṇ festival and has been transmitted in countless copieshttps://jainpedia.org/themes/principles/sacred-writings/highlights-of-jainpedia/kalpa-sutra/#:~:text=Indeed%2C%20the%20text%E2%80%99s%20special%20importance,there%20are%20numerous%20surviving%20manuscripts. The note implies that Soviet scholars had access to a significant corpus of Jain sources, which could contribute to the study of Jainism in Russia and beyond. It also points to the cosmopolitan nature of Jain textual transmission, showing that works in Prakrit, Sanskrit and vernacular languages travelled far outside India.