Jaina Karmaology

Author(s): N L Jain
Publisher: Parshwanath Vidyapith

Page 32

27
Jaina Karmology It is proper here to learn about the biography of such an eminent explanator and author - Akalanka also entitled with Bhatta - a ! brave and bold scholar and debater. The literature reveals about twelve seers with this name during the period between eighth and sixteenth centuries. We are concerned here only with the first one. His biography is found in "Akalanka-Carita'(Biography of Akalanka), 'RajāvaliKathe’ ( Biographies of Royalties) and many other sources. Nyāyācārya has deeply worked on him. However, it is shrouded with contradictory references in them regarding his (i) birth and birthplace (ii) parentage (iii) teacher-taught lineage (iv) area of his activities and (v) his period. Despite this, his compositions have earned him a high prestige recorded by many later scholars in their compositions. He has been ascribed with about twelve titles suggesting his profound scholarship, debating capacity, winning over philosophical disputants and logic-based scientificity. However, two of his facets are important - (i) debater and (ii) commentator-cum-author. In addition, he has proved to be the founder and systematiser of Jaina logic and theory of polyviewism. He was so influential that the Jaina logic was designated as 'Akalankan Logic, Akalankan genesis of theory of organs of valid 'cognitions', and so on. He was not only a logician and polyviewist but he was also an intellectual with the mentality of examination-based acceptance of traditional spiritual and physical concepts. He faced many anomalies in Jaina terminology and ambiguous points in his times with reference to different philosophical systems which he resolved without appreciable canonical transgression. He followed Umāsvāti's tradition of independent thinking.
Despite ambiguity about his biography, one can make out some general statements in this regard as per the logistics of Nyāyācārya. There is a controversy over his period due to the meaning of the term the 700th year of Vikramarka-Shaka' in the verse of Akalanka-Carita. If this means Vikrama era, it will mean his presence in 643 A.D. If this means the Shaka era, it will mean his presence in 778 A.D. It is unfortunate that both the meanings of this term are found in different sources. Shastri (N.C.) opines that the discussion and evidence put forth by Nyāyācharya is strong enough to support the thesis of his period as 720-780-A.D. assuming the meaning of the above term with reference to the Shaka era (i.e. A.D. +78 years).
He was born in a royal kşatriya clan in the religeously dominated city of Kanci (Southern Kashi) area of current Tamilnadu in