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AN OBSERVATION
[ Mahāmahopādhyāya Dr. SATIS CHANDRA VIDYABHUSANA maintains here that Siddha Sena Divākara was identical with the well-known Kşapaņaka. This view perfectly commends itself to me. There is proof enough that Siddha Sena was a Jaina sage and lived in the court of Vikramāditya. That Kșapaņaka was one of the Nine Gems of the court of Vikramāditya is also very widely known, and it remains only to prove that he was a Jaina sage. We have instances enough in the Pañcatantra where the Jaina ascetics are nicknamed as Kșapaņaka. The following instances from the Avadānakalpalatā will show that the Buddhists also designated the Jaina ascetics as Ksapaņaka :
भगवद्भाषितं तत्तु सुभद्रेण निवेदितम् । श्रुत्वा क्षपणकः क्षिप्रमभूद् द्वेषविषाकुलः ॥९॥ तस्य सर्वज्ञतां वेत्ति सुभद्रो यदि मगिरा। तदेष क्षपणश्रद्धां त्यक्ष्यति श्रमणादरात् ॥१२॥ मूर्खक्षपणभक्तेन तगिरा हतयोषिता । त्वया त्यक्तस्वपुत्रेण किं नाम सुकृता कृतम् ॥४०॥
(Jyotiskavadana) SARAT Ch. DAS.]
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