Jain Journal 2001 07

Author(s): Jain Bhawan Publication
Publisher: Jain Bhawan Publication

Page 53

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JAIN JOURNAL: Vol-XXXVI, No. 1 July 2001
determined by svabhāva (presumably considered to be a supernatural, omnipotent entity). On the contrary, in a Jain work, Yaśastilakacampū (tenth century CE) a Cārvāka is made to preach the superiority of endeavour to slavish submission to fate.9
Why are there so many divergent views on svabhāva? The only possible answer is that, at least in the Christian era, nobody knew what exactly the doctrine of svabhāva was. It had been already outmoded by the formation of the philosophical systems, both Orthodox (pro-Vedic) and heterdox (anti-Vedic). Although there were more than two dozens of claimants for the first cause (jagatkārana) only a few continued to be mentioned. 10 Thus among the Buddhists, both Nāgärjuna (second century CE) and Santaraksita (eight century CE) found it necessary to contend with the doctrines of svabhāva(meaning, however, accident) along with those of God, atom, etc. 1]
Here Haribhadra (eighth century CE), the Jain philosopher comes to aid. He was a man of encyclopedic erudition and well-versed in all systems of philosophy prevalent in his times. To him we owe the first known compendium of six philosophical systems, called Saddarśanasamuccaya 12 He refers to many more doctrines in another work, Lokatattva-nirnaya. 13 And in his Sastravārtā-samuccya he first expounds and then sets himself to refute the Lokāyata, NyāyaVaišesika, Sãmkhya, Advaita-Vedānta, Mimāmsā and several schools and tenets of the Buddhists. 14 It is to be noted that he deals with four
8. For details see my article mentioned in n 4.
Somadevasūri, Yasastilalaka, ed. M.M. Pandit Sivadatta and Vasudeva Laxman Sastri, Panašīkar, Bombay : Nirnay Sagar Prakashan, 1916,
3.61, p. 382. 10. käla (time), svabhāva inherent nature), niyati (destiny) and yadrccha
(accident) found place in many such lists. There are other claiments like vijnana (consciousness) and Skandha-s (constituent elements of being) which are mentioned only by the Buddhists. The doctrine of adrsta/ karman found favour with the Naiyāyikas-s; the Jains also considered it to be the cornerstone of their philosophy'. See V.M. Kulkarni, Svabhāvavāda (Naturalism): A Study in : Sri Mahavira Jaina Vidyalaya Suvarna Mahotsava Grantha, ed. A.M. Upadhye et al, Bombay : Sri Mahavira Jain Vidyalaya, 1968, pp. 10-20. Nagarjuna, Madhyamakasāstra (or -karikā or/ -sutra), ed. D.D. Shastri,
Varanasi: Bauddha Bharati, 1983, Ch. 15 and Santarakṣita (n 7), Ch. 4. 12. See n. 5. 13. Ahmedabad (Amedabad) : Sri Hamsavijayaji Jaina Free Library,
Vikramasamvat 1978 (1922 CE). 14. Ed. K.K. Dixit, Ahmedabad : Lalbhai Dalpatbhai Bharatiya Sanskriti
Vidyamandir, 1969.
11.