Nyayavatara and Nayakarnika

Author(s): Siddhasena Divakar, Vinayvijay, A N Upadhye
Publisher: Jain Sahitya Vikas Mandal

Page 21

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sign Siddhasena to the court of Vikramāditya, and he is identified with Kșapaņaka (a back-formation of Sramaņa-ka through Sayaņa-(y)a, Khayaņa-(y)a; forms like Khavaņaü are available in Apabhramśa), quite a natural term to describe a Yāpanīya. A critical study of this Dvā in comparison with certain Gupta inscriptions has led KRAUSE not only to assign Siddhasena (who has many ideas and expressions common with Kālidāsa) to the Gupta period but to demonstrate also that Siddhasena had more in view Samudragupta, though he might have lived down to the reign of Chandragupta II (c. 376-414 A.D.) at whose court he might have been equally conspicuous. This Chandragupta had also a title Vikramāditya. Dr. H. L. Jain also holds the view that Siddhasena has praised king Chandragupta II.
Siddhasena (Divākara) is highly praised by eminent Jaina authors as a Vādin (which I feel like taking to mean Anekānta-yādin) and a Kavi. Obviously they have in view his Sanmati (perhaps also some of his Dvātrissikās) and Stutis.
The Sammaï-sutta (or Sanmati-sūtra, -tarka or -prakaraṇa) is a profound treatise expounding Anekānta-vāda and allied topics. It is composed in Prākrit unlike other works attributed to Siddhasena which are all in Sanskrit. It has three sections and they are called Kāņda. Parellels for this are available elsewhere. Kundakunda's Pravacansāra has three sections, but they are called Śrutaskandhas. Bhartshari's Vākyapadīya also has three sections called Kāņdas. The use of Kāņda in such treatises was not unusual; so one need not go to epic literature to find this usage. The three Kāņdas of the Sammaï contain 54, 34 and