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Akalanka has constructed a magnificent edifice of his Rajavartik based on the Siddhalakshanavali and the Tattvarthasūtra. The extensive discussion of āgamic topics in the Sarvārthasiddhi has been reduced by the author of the Rajavartik, who has given more emphasis to philosophical subjects.
While residing in South India, Vidyananda observed that many contemporary and earlier scholars had launched attacks against Jain philosophy, and he felt that it was necessary to respond, particularly to the criticisms of Jainism by the Mimamsaka Kumarila and others. Thus, he composed the Shlokavartik. He has achieved his objective. In the Tattvarthashlokavartik, the critique of Mimamsa philosophy is more substantial and detailed than in any other commentary on the Tattvarthasūtra. No main topic from the Sarvārthasiddhi and Rajavartik has been overlooked in the Tattvarthashlokavartik; in many places, the discussion is even more extensive than in the Sarvārthasiddhi and Rajavartik. The depth of discussion in the Shlokavartik is indeed remarkable. While the Rajavartik exhibits a vastness of philosophical practice, the Shlokavartik presents that vastness along with an element of subtlety. Among the few works that hold significance in the entire Jain literature are the Rajavartik and Shlokavartik. There is no other text in the available Śvetāmbara literature on the Tattvarthasūtra that can compare with the Rajavartik or Shlokavartik. The general philosophical practice evident in commentaries becomes somewhat deeper in the Sarvārthasiddhi and particularly dense in the Rajavartik, ultimately becoming very solid in the Shlokavartik. A history-conscious scholar of the Rajavartik and Shlokavartik will recognize that these two texts reflect the era of philosophical learning and competition in South India, during which multifaceted scholarship developed. Both of these Vartikas are sufficient means for a thorough study of Jain philosophy; however, among them, the Rajavartik, being more prose-like, simple, and comprehensive, fulfills its purpose alone better than all the commentaries on the Tattvarthasūtra. If these two Vartikas did not exist, then the tenth...
1. Compare with the Sarvārthasiddhi and Rajavartik on pages 1. 7-8.