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Jaina Ethics Winternitz assigns him to 8th century A.D., whereas the traditional view places him in the 2nd century A.D. Here we may refer to a Sūtra of Jainendra Vyākarana of Pūjyapāda, where Samantabhadra is mentioned. One Pațțāvalīmentions Saka Samvat 60 (138 A.D.) in relation to Samantabhadra. Inscription of Sravanabelagolā places Samantabhadra after Simhanandi, who was the teacher of Korganivarman (103 A.D.).4 Samantabhadra is, therefore, to be placed in the 1st century A.D. That Samantabhadra preceded Simhanandi is borne out by three other inscriptions also.5 R. Williams says that Mukhtara places Samantabhadra between the first and fifth centuries A.D. He was perhaps not aware of the latest views of Mukhtara, where he has decidedly favoured 1st century A.D. as the probable date of Samantabhadra. It is as yet an open question as to which century Samantabhadra belonged. What we may do for the present is to place him after Kundakunda, Umāsvāmi, Svāmikārtikeya and Sivakoti on one hand, and before Pujyapāda on the other hand. This position is accepted by Pt. Hirālāla8 and R. Williamo also.
Besides Devāgamastotra or Aptamimāṁsā, which is said to be the introduction to the lost commentary on Tattvārthas ātra, Yuktyanuśāsana and Ratnakarndafrāvakācāra are also attributed to Samantabhadra. Most important of all, Ratnakarndašrāvakācāra occupies an important place in the discussion of Jaina ethics as the earliest Digambara treatise on the rules of conduct for a laity.
Aptamimāṁsā has been commented upon by Akalarika. His commentary is called Astašati, which has been again com
I. Winternitz, M., History of Indian Literature, Vol. II, p. 580.
Mukhtāra, J.K., Faina-sähitya ke itihasa para visada prakāśa, pp.
297-322. 2. Fainendravyākarana, Kāśi, 1956, 5.4.168. 3. Bhandarkar, R.G., Report of the Skt. Mss. in the Bombay Presidency
during 1883-1884, Bombay, 1887, p. 320. One of the inscriptions on Konganivarman is dated Saka era 25.
Epigraphia Carnatica, III, No. 110. 5. Epigraphia Carnatica, VII, Nos, 35, 36, 37 6. Williams, R. Jaina Yoga, p. 19. 7. Mukhtara, J.K., Jaina sāhitya ke itihasa para visada prakāśa, pp. 689.697. 8. Vasunandiśrävakācāra, prastāvanā, p. 45. g. Williams, R., Faina-Yoga, p. 19.
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