Jaina Literature form earliest time to century 10th AD

Author(s): Sagarmal Jain
Publisher: Z_Shwetambar_Sthanakvasi_Jain_Sabha_Hirak_Jayanti_Granth_012052.pdf

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Jaina Literature [From Earliest Time to c. 10th A. D.)
judgement ) are totally absent in it. This shows that Anekāntavāda. Aptamimāṁsā is an important work these concepts came into existence later duringc. 5th- which establishes the concepts of Jainism after a criti6th A.D.
cal evaluation of those of the other schools of Indian After Tattvārthasūtra, Ācārya Siddhasena philosophy. Divākara's Sanmatitarka is the next critical and
Another important work of this age is important work, composed in c. 4th A. D. in Prākta Dvādaśāranayacakra, authored by Mallavādi inc. Sth verses. It explains critically the concept of dravya A. D., aiming to establish Jaina theory of Anekānta( substance ), guna ( properties ), paryāya ( modes) văda by pointing out inconsistencies in the thoughts and their mutual relationship on the basis of the Jaina
of other schools of Indian philosophy. The style of theory of Naya, Nikșepa and Anekāntavāda ( non
this work is somewhat different from that of absolutism ). It is the first work in which one-sided
Sanmatitarka and Aptamimāṁsā, as these two later views of other philosophers are critically examined to
works are composed in verses and deal with their subestablish Jaina theory of Anekāntavāda. Some of the
ject-matter in a precise manner. Nayacakra is comDvătrimsaka-dvātrimśikās, of the same author, also,
posed in prose and deals with its subject matter excritically examine the philosophical views of other
haustively. The distinguishing feature of DvādaśāraIndian schools under the pretext of praising the Jina. nayacakra is that it critically examines the views of Even if the refutation of the philosophical views of
one philosophical school through the arguments of its other schools of Indian philosophy is found in the ca
opponent. In this way it makes a circle ( cakra ) in nonical works also, they are neither critical nor sys
which the last school of thought is refuted or critically tematic in their approach. Siddhasena for the first examined by the first one. On the basis of these three time, critically examined the views of other Indian
important works, this age is known as "The Age of philosophies, showing their logical inconsistencies. Critical Presentation of Anekantavāda". Besides So far as the works on Jaina epistemology are concer- 'Anekāntajayapatākā' and 'Anekāntavādapraveśa' of ned, Nyāyāvatāra of Siddhasena may be considered Haribhadra (c. 8th A. D. ) also deal with the same the first work on Jaina logic. This work provides the subiect-matter, but in a different manner. Višes - base to understand the later gradual developments in vasyakabhāșya, of Jinabhadragani Ksamāśramana, is Jaina logic, particularly the contribution of Akalanka
one of the important work of this age. In śvetāmbara and Vidyānandi in this regard.
tradition it is the first work which deals with various Among the writers of the Digambara sect, problems of Jaina philosophy in detail and with who wrote independent philosophical treatises,
minute observation. In Digambara Tradition also the Samantabhadra (c. 5th A. D.) occupies an important
Tattvārthasūtra is considered as the first systematic place. His Āptamimāṁsā is a noted scholarly presen
work on Jaina philosophy. The oldest available tation. It immitates Sanmatitarka of Siddhasena, in commentary on Tattvārthasūtra in Digambara tradi
tion style but differs in language. Sanmatitarka is in Prākrta
is Pujyapada Deva-nandi's Sarvārthaverses, while Aptamimāmsă is in Samskrta verses. It siddhi which is next to Svopajña-bhāşya ( autoalso critically evaluates the one-sided views of other commentary of Umāsvāti). It is composed in the first philosophies. These two works namely, Sanmatitarka half of c. 6th A. D. and Aptamimaṁsä, may be considered as the prime During c. 8th A. D. two more commentaries works for the exposition of Jaina theory of were produced namely Akalanka's Tattvārthavărttika