Aapta Mimansa

Author(s): Saratchandra Ghoshal
Publisher: Bharatiya Gyanpith

Page 15

INTRODUCTION
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A.D.”, that of Edward P. Rice in his History of Canarese Literature (following the Canarese work Karnātaka-KaviCharita by R.S. Narsinhāchārya and the Hindi work Karnatak Jaina Kavi by Nathuram Premi) that "Samantabhadra is by Jaina tradition placed in the second century”, that of M.S. Ayangar in his Studies on South Indian Jainism that “Samantabhadra was the first of a series of celebrated Digambara writers who acquired considrable prominence in the early Rāshtrakūta period”, and that of Dr. S.C. Vidyabhushana in his History of the Medieval School of Indian Logic that “Samantabhadra is supposed to have flourished about 600 A.D.” have been very ably criticised by Pandit Jugal Kishore. The curious reader may look up the detailed criticism in Pandit Jugal Kishore's Introduction already mentioned
Kundakunda flourished before Umāsvāmi. The different views about the approximate date of the latter have already been mentioned. Kundakunda's date was before this. A.N. Upadhye has in his Introduction to Pravachanasāra has after a very careful discussion on all points, come to the conclusion that “Kundakunda's age lies at the beginning of the Christian era.”
The style of writing and the language employed also support the view that the order of sequence was—(1) Kundakunda, (2) Umāsvāmi and (3) Samantabhadra. Kundakunda wrote in Prakrit verses. Earlier works on Jainism were all in Prakrit. The use of Sanskrit language came in later. The form of Sūtra was first employed in Sanskrit works and Umāsvāmi's work (Tattvārthādhigama-sūtra) was in the form of aphorisms. Samantabhadra began to write in Sanskrit verses. This use of Sanskrit verse was made by all later writers, though some exception is found in works like Pramāņa-mīmāṁsā by Hemchandra and Parikṣāmukha by Māņikyanandi. .
As to the life of Samantabhadra, very little is known. Pandit Jugal Kishore from a line in a manuscript copy of
1. “इति फणिमण्डलालंकारस्य उरगपुराधिपसूनोः श्रीस्वामिसमन्तभद्रमुनेः कृतौ आप्तमीमांसायाम्।”