ACKERMANAt a glance
History, context & interpretation
The text and its story
A compact summary of Jain philosophy in ten chapters: the soul, matter, karma and liberation. It contains the famous phrase 'souls render service to one another'.
Traditional attribution
Composed by the monk Umaswati (Umasvami).
Historical scholarship
Accepted by both major Jain sects, which is rare.
Context and curiosity
It was the first Jain text written in Sanskrit.
Chronology and transmission
This text belongs to Jainism & Sikhism (India). The catalogue gives its approximate dating as c. 2nd–5th century CE and original language or script as Sanskrit. The dated manuscript witnesses and traditional claims may not refer to the same historical event.
Sources and further reading
Historical descriptions are educational summaries. Religious traditions, scholarly interpretations and unverified claims are distinguished where possible; imagery may be illustrative rather than an artifact photograph.
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