________________
.
28
..
on Dhyāna S'ataka. According to this view, Jinabhadra Gani had, lived a long life of 104 years and though Acārya Haribhadra Suri was senior to him by 60 or 65 years, both of them happened to be contemporaries on account of the long life.of Jinabhadra Gani.17 This view is not sound because Haribhadra Sūri did not, in fact, flourish in 530 V. S. or 580 V. S. but he flourished between 757 and 875 V. S. as Muni Jinavijayaji has suggested. Secondly, Sriman Haribhadra Sūri has frequently quoted Jinabhadra Gani's sūtras in his Āvas'yaka Vritti. It is, therefore, clear that Jinabhadra Gani did not in any case flourish after Haribhadra Suri.
According to other Pattāvalis, all of Jinabhadra Gani Haribhadra Sūri, Devarddhi Gani ksamās'ramaņa, S'ilānkācārya and Kālukācārya happened to be contemporaries. But the history of the development of Jainism shows that the theory is wrongly based. The date of S'rîmān Haribhadra Sūri has been fixed as the latter half of the eighth and the first half of the 9th century V. S., Jinubhadra Gani has been placed in the latter half of the 7th and the first half of the 8th century V. S. Devarddhi Gani kşamā s'ramana and Kālakācārya are said to have flourished in the beginning of the 6th century V. S.
Leaving others aside, let us consider if Jinabhadra Gani and S'ilankācārya happened to flourish at the same time. The tradition says that S'ilankācārya was the priest of Vanarāja, the king of Anahillnpur Pātana. If this is true the date of Silankācārya falls somewhere near 800 V. S. since Vanarāja established his kingdom in 802 V. S. This places S'ilānkācārya undoubtedly as the contemporary of Acārya Sree Haribhadra Sūriji. Now some of the Patļāvalis refer to
17. Vide Sr Tapāgachchha Pattāvali ( Edited by) Srā Kalyāna Vijayaji Vol. I. page 98.