Kevalaodhi Buddhist And Jaina History Of Deccan Vol 2

Author(s): Aloka Parasher Sen, B Subrahmanyam, E Siva Nagi Reddy
Publisher: Bharatiya Kala Prakashan

Page 130

Kevala-Bodhi-Buddhist and Jaina History of the Deccan
vardhana V and himself visited the court of Amōghavarsha reveal that he lived in the middle of the ninth century AD. With regard to his place, he himself mentions that he studied the medical science at the feet of Śrinandi, whose establishment is located on Ramagiri. About the composition of his work also, he says that he wrote it in the caitya caves of Ramagiri, located in the Trikalingadesa of Vengirajya. There are two Ramagiris in Andhradeśa: one in Karimnagar district and the other in the district of Visakhapatnam, both of which were well-known Jaina centers in those days. That is why scholars like Veturi Sankara Sastri doubtfully suggested that it might be either of these." But by the composition of Kalyāṇakāraka, Telangana area was under the rule of Rashrakūtas. The author specifically mentions that Ramagiri was situated in Vengi in the country of Trikalinga. Historians have identified the western province of Kalingadesa located to the west of Mahendragiri, to the north of Mahanandi and the birthplace of the river Langulya as the Trikalingadeśa." Rāmatīrtha or Ramagiri was connected with Jainism from ancients days. Many ancient scholars in their works have referred to it. Vimala in his Paumacariyam, Ravisēna in his Padmapurana and also Jinasēna II in his Harivansa have referred to these places. The Bṛhatkathakosa describes it as situated between the Kalinga visaya and Andhra visaya. Almost all the sources have described this place as abounded in Jaina temples. Ugrăditya mentions that the place was very beautiful adorned with many Jaina caves, temples and other objects of worship and were situated in the level plains of Vengi. Hence it was undoubtedly, the Ramagiri of the present Visakhapatnam district of Andhra Pradesh where Ugrăditya lived and worked.
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Ugraditya's Kalydṇakaraka mentions that it was indebted to the former medical treatises, but in itself it is a complete treatise and original in the treatment and arrangement of the subject. The method of arrangement and treatment of the subject gives us an idea that he wanted to convey the subject in a simplified but in complete form. The work consists of two parts with 25 chapters containing 8000 verses. The first part consists of 20 chapters and the second one contains five chapters. At the end, he added two more chapters with the names Rishta and Hitahita.
Influence of Syadvāda
According to the history of Jaina Philosophy, Kundakunda, Samantabhadra and Pujyapada are regarded as great exponents of the doctrine of Syddváda. Not only these scholars, the learned Jaina authors in sciences took credit in introducing themselves as the followers of Syadvada. Mahaviracārya refers to Amoghavarsha as a follower of Syddväda and as devoted to the practice of religion and was of retiring nature. The Jaina Agamas make it clear that Vardhamana's method was to harmonize and assimilate as much of different contending sects as was consistence with his main ideal of moksha. This peculiar trait of Mahāvīra's method seems to be responsible for giving his school the character of Anēkāntavāda and Syādvāda.
The principle of Syadvada is to make it clear that we cannot affirm or deny anything absolutely about any object. Every preposition is true to knowledge but under certain conditions. It is explained by the Jainas in the Saptabhangi theory, which is based on the fact that all philosophical disputes arise out of confusion of standpoints and viewpoints. The Jainas illustrate it by the story of six blind men "who each laid hands on a different part of the body of an elephant and tried to describe the whole animal in its basis, it was he who saw the whole that realized that each of them had only a portion of truth." The essence of these interpretations lies in harmonizing the different ways of thought by regarding them as so many different points of viewing the reality and grasping the truth. This character of Jainism explains how the Jaina medical scholars like Pujyapáda and Ugrăditya have carefully studied the medico-religious