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Society, Epistemology and Logic in Indian Tradition
Prabhācandra. It seems that Abhayadevasūri's commentary on Sanmatitarka was written earlier than the works of Prabhācandra because the issues raised in the Tattvabodhavidhāyinī (commentary on Sanmatitarka) are found more systematic in the works of Prabhācandra. The commentary of Abhayadeva, explains naya, jñāna and jñeya extensively. Abhayadevasūri was a well versed commentator on Jaina epistemology. He has a penetrating view when he refutes the other systems. The second part (kānḍa) of his commentary mainly deals with epistemology.
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Prabhācandra, a renowned Jaina logician, has contributed a lot by writing two voluminous commentaries entitled Nyāya-kumudacandra and Prameya-kamalamārtaṇḍa. Prameya-kamala-mārtaṇḍa is a commentary on Parikṣāmukha of Māņikyanandin and Nyāyakumudacandra is a commentary on Laghiyastraya of Akalanka. Pandita Kailasacandra Śastrī places him during 950 to 1020 CE in the introduction to the first part of Nyāya-kumudacandra and Pandita Mahendra Kumar Nyāyacārya has fixed him with a minor modification during 980 to 1065 CE. Prabhācandra has given many new cogent arguments to refute the other systems and to establish the Jaina philosophy. He has discussed prima facie views (pūrvapakṣa) of other works like Tattvārthavṛitti, Śākaṭāyana-nyāsa, Śābdāmbhojabhāskara, Pravacāṇasārasarojabhāskara, Gadyakathākośa, Mahāpurāṇa- țippaṇa, Ratnakaraṇḍatīka, Kriyākalāpaṭīka and Ātmānuśāsanatilaka, but scholars have divergent opinions about the authorship of some of these works.
Although Prameya-kamala-mārtanda comes under the