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Niyamasara is a 1st Century CE spiritual treatise by Kundakunda described by its commentators as the Bhagavat Shastra. It expounds the path of liberation.

Subject matter

Niyamasara deals with the three ethico-spiritual standpoints of understanding ultimate Reality –the Nishcaya naya, the Vyavahara naya and the Shuddha Naya.

Niyamasara effectively removes doubts related to Parayayarthika naya and Dravyarthika nayas and elaborates on Vyavahara caritra. He stresses that Vyavahara caritra is based on samyama (self-restraint) and hence rooted in appropriate psychic disposition. He places great stress on cleansing the soul of vibhavas, internal impurities,through self-discipline.

A unique feature of the Niyamasara is that Kundakunda characterises both Nichcaya caritra and Vyavahara caritra as tapa, or practice of austerity from their respective nayas. This characterization is based on psychological and pragmatic considerations and if put in practiceproperly it would lead to internal and external purity and annihilation of the four passions. Kundakunda concludes that Vyavahara caritra and Nishcaya caritra together constitute Samyakcaritra. Another unique feature of this text is its description of parama samadhi, not found elsewhere in Jain literature.

English Translation

NIYAMASARA: SALVATION THROUGH SELF-DISCIPLINE (Prakrit - English) Original Text in PrakritBy Acarya Kundakunda Translation and Introduction in English by J P Jain Sadhak, 2005 ISBN 8170272424