________________
Introduction
CCLÍN liberate themselves and so also whether monks who put on clothes. The Svetāmbara dialectician maintained that women could liberate themselves, as liberation depended upon a person possessing 'sattva' and women were known to possess 'great sattva.' Instances were quoted from the $āstras, of Sīta and others, and as contemporary evidence the name of the queen mother Mayaņalla was mentioned, who, from the way in which she is referred, appears to be living at the time. This debate is merely referred to by the M. K. C. but described in detail by the Pra. Cha.. The debate lasted for sixteen days and at last Kumudachadra was silenced, who as a last resource tried to find a grammatical fault in the word Koțākotī that Devasūri had used. The judges, however, held that the usage was quite according to Pāṇini. We are told that Devasūri used his knowledge of the commentary of Sāntisūri on the Uttarādhyayanasūtra bearing on this topic and defeated Kumudachandra who could not answer his arguments. ( P. C. pp. 283-293 M. K. C. pp. 44 – 51 ).
In this connection the M. K. C. supplies us with very good information about the learned assembly of Jayasimha.+ The king himself was the chairman whose decision was final. He was assited by four sabhyas ( members of assembly ) - in the words of Pratihāra
Maharshi who was learned in Tarka, Bhārata and Parāsara (Logic, Mahābhārata and the Smrti of Pārāsara.), Utsāha whose learning had become famous
+ This informarion is further supplemented by the eighth and the last chapter of the P. N. T. L. of Devasūri which discusses the nature of Vāda, Vadin, Sabhya and Sabhāpati.
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
