Nyayavatara and Nayakarnika

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

Page 45

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Siddhasena and his Works
The Jaina Nirgranthas were devoted to knowledge and renunciation, and their self-reliance was exemplary. But soon they got themselves steeped into the orthodoxy of broad principles and customs. The majority of the followers of the Agamas were devoted more to their words. Instead of adjusting the comprehensiveness of principles of Mahāvīra to the changing times and localities, they were upset by new environments and became intolerant of new ideas and practices. The special strength of the Sramana Samgha was used more to the preservation of the age-old than to the comprehension and adjustment of the basic principles for facing fresh challenges of the times. This was intolerable to Divakara. He could see that the noble and profound principles of Mahāvīra were quite comprehensive and capable of wider application. It is deep study, logical interpretation and wide intellectual approach that were needed. Divakara had grasped by his intellectual gifts the profundity of Mahavira's doctrines, but other Sramaņas were not ready to hear his interpretations. They misrepresented him by saying that he was disrespecting the words of Tirthakaras by preaching what was not said in the ancient Sūtras. Divakara made it plain that those who were making a distinction between Kevala-darśana and -jñāna were not diving deep into the meaning of the Sutras intelligently and logically. Correct understanding of the Sutras, he added, was itself Samyag-darśana. A proper understanding of the context and judicious application of the Nayas were necessary. Mere study of the text of the Sutras was not enough, but a thorough and deep understanding of their meaning was needed. These observations of Divakara show that he was out to enkindle deeper understanding of the Sūtras in the Sramana Samgha.
Further, Divakara wanted the non-Jaina scholars to understand better the Jaina principles and to meet correctly their attack on the latter. Among the principles of Naya, Jñāna and Jñeya explained in the Sanmati-t, his exposition of Naya and Jñeya clearly brings out the analysis of Nayas in such a way that all the schools of philosophy are shown to be partial attempts to understand reality and in a way accommodated in the pattern of Nayas. Many have laughed at Anekanta without understanding it, but he declared that Anekanta stands triumphant without which all vyavahāra is fruitless.
On a closer study, it appears that Divakara was the first to put