________________ xiii that his mother was a daughter of Parvata (!) He was also a Mahamandalesvara, a brave warrior and at the same time a master in the dialectical discussions. He was the lord of both--the learned Panditas and brave heroes. We have no source available to know from whom he learnt Nyaya philosophy, though he pays homage to some Guru in general. He also calls himself Vajra-Brahma-Nrpa-- perhaps some title acquired by him! This commentary is based on a single MS. available from a Patan Bhandara. The text of the MS. is corrupt at many places. The leaves are very old, torn and eaten by insects at some places. The script, though legible, is often incorrect. It is very difficult to correct the readings of the script in absence of another MS. to compare with. This MS. contains 160 leaves. V leaves. . sidila presents an elegant commentary on NK. He seems to have really mastered the art of dialectics as claimed by him. He explains explicitly a number of topics discussed by Sridhara. For example, in Mangalavada, he presents a series of arguments to prove that Mangala has the potentiality to remove all obstacles. Similar are his discussions on the definition of Prthvi, creation and dissolution, Kala, Atma, Pakajaprakriya and Pararthanumana. Sidila has a peculiarity of initiating the fresh discussions. He has his own method. He first prepares a suitable ground by anticipating a possible Purvapaksa and then presents Sridhara's thesis to refute it. He also tries to be clear and decisive not infrequently. We come across a number of phrases such as Ayamatrabhisandhih, Ayamatrabhiprayah, Iti bhavah, Iti bhavarthah etc. However Sidila never enters in any unnecessary discussion. He is modest and does not stretch his arguments beyond a certain limit. Thus while discussing the nature of substance Tejas, he accepts faithfully that Gold is a Tejas dravya, but knowing that there is not a convincing proof for such contention, he humbly quotes Vallabha "Tejo Hiranvamiti Srutireva Pramanam " Incidently it is interesting to note that Rajasekhara also concludes this topic by saying ---Suvarnadinam Taijastve Tavadagamah Pramanamiti (P. 114). He is always precise and to the point. This commentary serves the purpose of a guide for those who read NK for the first time. Sidila, therefore, seldom quotes other scholars or commentators other than those already mentioned by Sridhara himself. the only exception being the mention of Vallabha (P. 81). In short, this commentary of Sidila is a lucid and useful handbook on Kandali. VASANT PARIKH
