________________
156
JAINA ONTOLOGY
greater author than he while Vadideva was followed by Yasovijaya who was a greater author than both Abhayadeva and Vadideva. Be that as it may, what we call the third stage of the age of Logic in the history of Jaina
losophical speculation produced Prabhācandra among the Digambaras, Abhayadeva, Vadideva and Yašovijaya among the Svetambaras. We take 1 up these authors one by one.
Prabhācandra is the author of two fairly long commentaries on two fairly important texts. One of these texts is Akalanka's Laghiyastraya, the other Manikyanandin's Pariksāmukha. Now Laghiyastraya, inspite of its title, is a collection of two works which are the earliest among Akalanka's independent writings. And as we know Akalanka only gradually reached clarity on the questions of epistemology which is the central subject-matter of his independent writings. This means that in the form of Laghiyastraya Prabhācandra had before him a rather raw work on epistemology, even if a work coming from the pen of Akalanka. In this respect Parīksāmukha was just the opposite of Laghiyastraya, for the former lucidly and systema. tically summarises Akalanka's final epistemological findings as perfected by his followers like Anantavirya and Vidyānanda. However, the programme of Prabhacandra being what it was this difference in character between two works he chose to comment on was rather immaterial. For he had made it a point to introduce in his commentaries an exhaustive and systematic discussion of the major philosophical issues of his times. And an occasion for such a discussion was not difficult to find out -- not only in the Parikşāmukha but also in the rather'unsystematic Laghiyastraya. The result is that barring exceptions the same questions are discussed in Nyāyakumudacandra, the commentary on Laghīyastaya, and Prameyakamalamārtanda, the commentary on Parīksāmukha. Two things are noteworthy in this connection : first, that most of these questions had been discussed also by Vidyānanda; secondly, that Prabhācandra's level of discussion is decidedly less advanced than that of Vidyānanda. Of course, two questions are somewhat new in Prabhācandra. Thus in Nyāyakumudacandra there occurs a detailed refutation of the six Vaišeșika padarthas and the sixteen Nyāya padārthas, the former which is more important being repeated in Prameyakamalamārtanda; (in Vidyānanda such a refutation was just hinted at). Similarly, in both Nyāyakumudacandra and Prameyakamalamārtanda there occurs a detailed treatment of the theories of error maintained by diverse philosophical schools; (Vidyananda is unfamiliar with this problem). For the rest what Prabhācandra says in connection with his treatment of this or that problem had already been said by Vidyānanda most tersely and precisely and as a matter of fact Prabhācandra's writings should serve as a good introduction to those of Vidyānanda; (Prabhācandra's writings have the advantage that they contain one discussion at one place).
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
