Book Review
Summary
The book review section discusses two scholarly works that contribute to our understanding of Jain history and culture. The first book, “Jaina Sects and Schools” by Muni Uttam Kamal Jain (Concept Publishing, 1975), surveys the Jain community’s internal divisions. It outlines how leadership passed from Mahāvīra to his disciples Gautama, Sudharma and Jambūsvāmī and then to scriptural masters known as śruta‑kevalins. The book explains the emergence of the Mūla Saṅgha and its subdivisions—Nandi, Sena, Siṃha and Deva saṅghas—which evolved into lineages such as the Balātkāra Gaṇa. These developments are placed within historical contexts, including a 3rd‑century BCE inscription recording stone beds for Digambara monks that demonstrates early institutionalisation of the saṅgha. Jain also examines the rise of Śvetāmbara gacchas and sub‑sects like the Sthānakavāsī and Terāpanth. The reviewer praises the book for collating scattered information into a single reference but notes that it relies on traditional accounts and lacks critical analysis of sources. Some dates and interpretations are outdated, yet the book remains a useful introduction to the diversity of Jain sectarian history. The second book, Dr. Madhu Sen’s “A Cultural Study of the Nisitha Curni,” analyses a medieval commentary on the Nisitha Sūtra, a canonical monastic law book. Sen treats the commentary as a source for cultural history, cataloguing references to clothing, food, medicine, trade, art and social customs. Her work shows how monastic rules reflect everyday life and connects textual information to archaeological evidence, such as stone beds for monks, and to the lineage of teachers after Mahāvīra. The reviewer commends her methodological approach and detailed appendices but notes that some interpretations are speculative and that wider comparative analysis would strengthen the study. Overall, both books are recognised for preserving knowledge about Jain sects and culture and are recommended for students and researchers with a critical eye.
Summary reviewed by a volunteer editor.
Conclusion
Together these reviews underscore the value of examining both doctrinal texts and commentaries to understand Jain history and culture. “Jaina Sects and Schools” maps the evolution of monastic orders and sects, while “A Cultural Study of the Nisitha Curni” shows how normative texts illuminate social history. Although the works have limitations—outdated chronology in the first and speculative interpretations in the second—the reviewer appreciates their role in preserving knowledge about Jain sects, schools and cultural practices and encourages readers to approach them with critical curiosity.