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28
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he was well-versed in the sciences of inathematics, etymology, prosody, and phonology also.8
Still, hower, Ācārya Jinabhadra Gani was the staunch and orthodox upholder of the traditional Jaina Canon. Though he knew many sciences, his extensive knowledge and intelligence were taken advantage of only for establishing the authenticity and validity of the Jaina Ayamas. He is therefore, taken as one of the pioneer āgama-pradhāna or orthodox Acāryas. 9
He used to take the support of logical illustrations and inferences only partially in the sense that such illustrations or inferences were quoted only if they strengthened the view- · point of the traditional Jaina Āgamıs, and were rejected if they went against the traditional preachings The example of his predecessor Siddhasena Divākara is welknown. Siddhasena. was a free-minded but logical interpreter. His works are full of original thoughts and independent ideas irrespective of their being different from or similar to the traditional Jaina Āgamas. The theory that Absolute Knowledge and Absolute Perception do not take place simultaneouly but one after the other, has been proved by him by the help of logical inferences and concrete illustrations, Siddhasea thus went against the traditional view of the Jaina Agamas according to which the Keväla-Jņāna and the Kevala-Dars'ana took place simultaneously. Jinabhandra Gani Ksamās'ramana repudiates the theory
8. Vide E-ART 4-HATIA-fera-17fo17-35-AÇA FAITT! दससु वि दिसासु जस्स य अणुओगो (अणुवमो) भणइ जसपडहो ॥
(Ibid) 9. Vide TTFÄRITA-fasu TAT-TAĦ-AAITAITOTAS I जिणभद्दखमासमणं खमासमणाणं निहाणमिव एकं ॥
(Ibid) Also vide Jitakalpasūtra (Ed-by Muni Jinavijayaji ), Editor's Preface, p. 7.