Umaswami wrote the Tattvartha Sutra, the first great Jain work in Sanskrit and the one text accepted by every Jain tradition. In about 350 short aphorisms across ten chapters, it sets out the whole of Jain philosophy — the soul, matter, karma, the path and liberation.
It opens with the line that sums up the Jain path: “Samyag-darshana-jnana-charitrani moksha-margah” — right faith, right knowledge and right conduct together are the path to liberation. And it gives Jainism its motto (5.21): “Parasparopagraho jivanam” — souls render service to one another. Many Jains recite the entire text during Paryushan; hearing it once is said to bring the merit of a day's fast.
