' (Devnagari: द्रव्यसंग्रह) (Compendium of substances) is a 10th-century

Jain text Jain literature () refers to the literature of the Jain religion. It is a vast and ancient literary tradition, which was initially transmitted orally. The oldest surviving material is contained in the canonical ''Jain Agamas'', which are wri ...

in Jain Sauraseni

Prakrit Prakrit ( ) is a group of vernacular classical Middle Indo-Aryan languages that were used in the Indian subcontinent from around the 5th century BCE to the 12th century CE. The term Prakrit is usually applied to the middle period of Middle Ind ...

by Acharya Nemicandra belonging to the

Digambara ''Digambara'' (; "sky-clad") is one of the two major Jain schools and branches, schools of Jainism, the other being ''Śvetāmbara'' (white-clad). The Sanskrit word ''Digambara'' means "sky-clad", referring to their traditional monastic pract ...

Jain tradition. It is a composition of 58 ''

gatha ''Gāthā'' is a Sanskrit term for 'song' or 'verse', especially referring to any poetic metre which is used in legends or folklores, and is not part of the Vedas but peculiar to either Epic Sanskrit or to Prakrit. The word is originally derived ...

s'' (verses) giving an exposition of the six '' dravyas'' (substances) that characterize the Jain view of the world: sentient ''( jīva)'', non-sentient ''(

pudgala In Jainism, Pudgala (or ') is one of the six Dravya (Jainism), Dravyas, or aspects of reality that fabricate the world we live in. The six ''dravya''s include the jiva and the fivefold divisions of ajiva (non-living) category: ''dharma'' (motio ...

)'', principle of motion ''(

dharma Dharma (; , ) is a key concept in various Indian religions. The term ''dharma'' does not have a single, clear Untranslatability, translation and conveys a multifaceted idea. Etymologically, it comes from the Sanskrit ''dhr-'', meaning ''to hold ...

)'', principle of rest ''(adharma)'', space ''(ākāśa)'' and time ''(

kāla Kala (, ) is a Sanskrit term that means 'time' or 'death'. As time personified, destroying all things, Kala is a god of death, and often used as one of the epithets of Yama. In Shaivism, Kala is known as the fiery avatar of Shiva, Bhairava, K ...

)''.Acarya Nemicandra; Nalini Balbir (2010) p. 1 of Introduction It is one of the most important Jain works and has gained widespread popularity. ' has played an important role in Jain education and is often memorized because of its comprehensiveness as well as brevity.

Author

10th century Jain Acarya, Nemicandra Siddhānta Cakravartin is regarded as the author of '. He was the teacher of Camundaraya—the general of the

Western Ganga Dynasty Western Ganga was an important ruling dynasty of ancient Karnataka in India which lasted from about 350 to 999 CE. They are known as "Western Gangas" to distinguish them from the Eastern Ganga Dynasty, Eastern Gangas who in later centuries r ...

Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...

. Nemicandra was a prolific author and a specialist in summarizing and giving lucidly the essence of teachings in various fields; ' (compendium) and ''sāras'' (essence) were his specialty. He also wrote ''Trilokasāra'' (essence of cosmology), ''Labdhisāra'' (essence of attainments), ' (essence on destruction of karmas), and ' (essence of Gommata, a treatise on soul and Karma). Although not much is known about him from his own works, at the end of the ''Trilokasāra'' and of the ', he introduces himself as a pupil of Abhayanandi, Vīranandi, Indranandi and Kanakanandi. He is said to have inspired Camundaraya to build the famous Bāhubali statue at

Shravanabelagola Shravanabelagola (pronunciation: ) is a town located near Channarayapatna of Hassan district in the Indian state of Karnataka and is from Bengaluru. The Gommateshwara Bahubali statue at Shravanabelagola is one of the most important tirthas ...

. ''Vahuvali Charitra'' (a Jain work based on collection of traditions) notes that Nemicandra belonged to the monastic order of Desiya gana. After establishing the statue of Bāhubali, Camundaraya offered villages yielding a revenue of 96,000 gold coins to Nemicandra for daily worship of and festivals for Gommatesvara (Lord Bāhubali).

Influence

' has played an important role in Jain education and is often memorized because of its comprehensiveness and brevity. The composition of ' is influenced from the earlier Jain works such as Umāsvāti's '' Tattvārthasūtra'' and Kundakunda's '' Pañcāstikāyasara'' because these works are based on the same topics as the '.Acarya Nemicandra; Nalini Balbir (2010) p. 2 of Introduction

Contents and overview

According to Nalini Balbir, the ' is largely a work of definitions of concepts with mnemonic perspective. In its 58 verses, the author makes skillful use of '' āryā metre''. Nemicandra's presentation is often articulated around the opposition between the conventional and the absolute points of view (''vyavahāra'' and ''niścaya-naya''), or around the contrast between the material and the spiritual angles (''dravya'' and ''bhāva''). Sarat Chandra Ghoshal, the translator of ', divides the entire text in three convenient parts—the first part deals with six dravyas (verses 1–27), the second with seven tattvas (verses 28–39) and the third part describes the way to attain liberation (verses 40–57).Nemicandra; Brahmadeva, & Ghoshal, Sarat Chandra (1989) pg. xlv of introduction

The six dravyas

In tine opening verse, along with the usual ''mangalacharana'' (eulogy), it is mentioned that

dravya ''Dravya'' () means substance or entity. According to the Jain philosophy, the universe is made up of six eternal substances: sentient beings or souls ('' jīva''), non-sentient substance or matter (''pudgala''), principle of motion (''dharma'' ...

consists of ''

jiva ''Jiva'' (, IAST: ), also referred as ''Jivātman,'' is a living being or any entity imbued with a life force in Hinduism and Jīva (Jainism), Jainism. The word itself originates from the Sanskrit verb-root ''jīv'', which translates as 'to br ...

'' and ''

ajiva ''Ajiva'' (Sanskrit) is anything that has no soul or life, the polar opposite of " jīva" (soul). Because ''ajiva'' has no life, it does not accumulate ''karma'' and cannot die. Examples of ajiva include chairs, computers, paper, plastic, etc. ...

''. In the second verse

Jiva ''Jiva'' (, IAST: ), also referred as ''Jivātman,'' is a living being or any entity imbued with a life force in Hinduism and Jīva (Jainism), Jainism. The word itself originates from the Sanskrit verb-root ''jīv'', which translates as 'to br ...

is defined: The various characteristics of Jiva mentioned in the definition are taken up one by one in verses 3–14. ' classifies the embodied souls on the basis of the number of senses possessed by it: from one to five senses. After this detailed description of Jivas the author proceeds to describe

Ajiva ''Ajiva'' (Sanskrit) is anything that has no soul or life, the polar opposite of " jīva" (soul). Because ''ajiva'' has no life, it does not accumulate ''karma'' and cannot die. Examples of ajiva include chairs, computers, paper, plastic, etc. ...

s—''

Pudgala In Jainism, Pudgala (or ') is one of the six Dravya (Jainism), Dravyas, or aspects of reality that fabricate the world we live in. The six ''dravya''s include the jiva and the fivefold divisions of ajiva (non-living) category: ''dharma'' (motio ...

Dharma Dharma (; , ) is a key concept in various Indian religions. The term ''dharma'' does not have a single, clear Untranslatability, translation and conveys a multifaceted idea. Etymologically, it comes from the Sanskrit ''dhr-'', meaning ''to hold ...

, adharma, Akasa'' and ''Kala,'' each of which is defined in verses 16–22. Among these, as per verse 23, the ''Jiva, pudgala, dharma, adharma,'' and ''akasa'' are called ''astikayas'', the extensibles or conglomerates.

Tattvas

The second part deals with the seven tattvas (fundamental principles or verities): jīva (soul), ajīva (non soul), āsrava (karmic inflow), bandha (bondage of karmas),

saṃvara ''Samvara'' (''saṃvara'') is one of the ''tattva'' or the fundamental reality of the world as per the Jain philosophy. It means stoppage—the stoppage of the influx of the material karmas into the soul consciousness. The karmic process in J ...

(stoppage of karmas), nirjarā (shedding of karmas) and mokṣa (emancipation or liberation). Together with puṇya (merit or beneficial karma) and pāpa (demerit or harmful karma) they form nine ''

padārtha is a Sanskrit word for "categories" in Vaisheshika and Nyaya schools of Indian philosophy.

Moksa

The third part of ' begins with verse 39 describing the means to attain liberation from conventional and real point of views. The three jewels of Jainism also known as ''

Ratnatraya Jainism emphasises that ratnatraya (triple gems of Jainism) — the right faith (''Samyak Darshana''), right knowledge (''Samyak Gyana'') and right conduct (''Samyak Charitra'') — constitutes the path to liberation. These are known as the tripl ...

''— Samyak darśana (rational perception), samyak jñāna (rational knowledge) and samyak cāritra (rational conduct)—which are essential in achieving liberation—are defined and the importance of '' dhyāna'' (meditation) is emphasized. On meditation, Nemicandra says:

Pañca-Parameṣṭhi

Verses 49 to 54 of the Dravyasaṃgraha, succinctly characterizes the five Supreme Beings (''Pañca-Parameṣṭhi'') and their characteristics.

Commentaries

One of the most popular commentaries of ' is that by Brahmadeva from around the 14th century. Other commentaries on the work include: *Balacandra (1142) – Tika on Nemicandra's Dravyasamgraha *Mallisena (1292) – Commentary on Nemicandra Siddhantin's Dravyasamgraha *Brahmadeva (1300) – Vrtti on Nemicandra's Dravyasamgraha *Hamsaraja (1750) – Commentary on Nemicandra's Dravyasamgraha. *Ramacandra – Commentary on Nemicandra's Dravyasamgraha.

Notes

References

* * * * * {{Jainism Topics Prakrit Jain texts Jain texts