________________ INTRODUCTION xvii kirti to have studied with Isvarasena, a pupil of Dinnaga. Or, Isvarasena cannot be supposed to be a direct disciple of Dinnaga (c. 345-415 A.D.). Dharmakirti has refuted the views held by Kumarila. According to Dr. Kunhan Raja, Kumarila's time is c. 550 A.D.; Supporting view of Prof. Bruno he states that the time of Bhartrihari does not go against this view. The Bhartrihari referred to by Itsing might be some one else. Therefore, we see no contradiction with regard to the time of Dharmakirti and that of Kumarila.. Some hold that the date of Dharmakirti should be fixed somewhere after 635 A.D., inasmuch as Hiuen Tsang has not refared to the name of Dharmakirti. The weakness of this argument has been shown by Pt. Rahulji in his Introduction to the Vada-nyaya, and therefore we need not consider it again. Pt. Mahendra Kumar has made an attempt to refute the arguments advanced by Rahulji.3 But his arguments hardly carry conviction in view of the arguments advanced by Prof. Bruno to fix the date of Bhartsihari in 450 A.D. instead of 600-650 A.D. Thus, when there is a change in the date of Kumarila, there is no sense in not admitting a change in the date of Dharmakirti. The views of Dharmakirti have been criticised by Vyomasiva, Salikanatha, Jayanta, Vachaspati Misra, Akalanka, and others. The commentators following Dharmakirti have no doubt made an attempt to meet these charges. Prof. Stcherbatsky classifies these commentators into three categories : (1) The philological school of commentators, (2) the philosophical school of commentators, (3) the religious school of commentators. The first school was initiated by Devendrabuddhi. Bus-ton holds that Devendrabuddhi was a pupil of Dharmakirti. Dharmakirti rejected the commentary composed by Devendrabuddhi on the Pramana-vartika twice. At the third time he, however, accepted it though not completely satisfactory, realising that his obstruse C. Kunhan Raja-Sloka-vartika-tatparya-tika, Intro. p. 17. 2 Vada-nyaya, Intro. p. 5. 3 Akalanka-grantha-traya, Intro. p. 21. Stcherbatsky-Buddhist Logic, vol. I, pp. 39-47.
