Hetubindu Tika

Author(s): Dharmakirti Mahaswami, Archatt Bhatt, Durvek Mishra Pandit, Sukhlal Sanghavi, Jinvijay, B Bhattacharya
Publisher: Oriental Research Institute Vadodra

Page 18

2. Aroata
The second Text of the present edition is the Hotubindu-tka, Arcáta is its author. He seems to be a Kašmiri from his name and this is also corroborated by the statement of Lamā Tāranatha. He was a Brāhmana. In three places of the Tibetan Version of the Hetubinda-ţikā there is clear mention of him as 'brāhmaṇacatena'. His another name was Dharmakaradatta.3 It seems that Arcata became a Buddhist monk later on and took the latter name. Duryeka uses the tile Bhasta along with the name Arcata* and the title Bhadanttas along with the name Dharmákaradatta- a title which can be used ooly for a monk. The sub-commentator Durvekamisra mentions both these namos just in the beginning of his sub commentary Aloka®.
We do not get any further information about the life of Arcata. But on the basis of his own statement as well as from the sub-commentary of Burveķa, we definitely learn about at least the following three works of Arcata.
1. Kşanabhangasiddhi 2. Pramanadvilvasiddhis
3. Hetubindutika The literary style of Arcața is as lucid as that of the Kasmiri author Jayanta of Nyāyamanjari and Vācaspatimisra. His philosophical understanding is very deep and vivid. His penetrating insight has found expression whenever he has entered into the discussions of the Buddhist as well as the non-Buddhist positions. Dharmakirti, perhaps, could not have an able exponent of his position in his life time. But he has had a number of such able exponents .as Arcata in later times.
· Dharmottara, the aụthor of the Nyayabindu-tikā, is the disciple of the selfsame Arcața. This is known from the statement of Tarānatha who mentions Dharmottara as the disciple of Dharmakaradatta who is none but our Arcata. It also naturally follows that Dharmākaradatta 'must have initiated Dharmottara only after he himself had become a “Bhadantalo
1 H.I. L., pp. 329-32. 2 Vide Text, pp. 149, 166, 229. 3 Text, pp. 233, 261. 4 Text, pp. 233, 241, 243, 333, 343, 370, 377. 5 Text, p. 261. 6 Text, p. 233. 7 Text pp. 8,287 8 Text pp. 82, 87, 327. 9 Text, p. 189 10 H. I. L.. p, 329.