Nyayavatara and Nayakarnika

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

Page 70

Siddhasena and his Works
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the Vikrama era) and situated on the bank of Siprā. The Mahākāla of Avanti is well-known and claimed as theirs by Brāhmaṇas, Buddhas and Jainas. About Siddhasena's composition, the oldest source refers to Dvā.s, the recitation of the last verse of which led to the appearance of the image of Pārsvanātha. There are discrepancies in details. The Prabhāvakacarita makes up the number 32 by adding the Nyāyāvatāra (which has 32 verses) and Vīrastuti. It mentions also the Kalyāṇamandira in 44 verses, not mentioned earlier; and Kumudacandra became the name of Siddhasena. At present 21 Dva.s are extant, and to these Nyāyāvatāra and Kalyāṇamandira may be added. Some Sanskrit verses attributed to Siddhasena or Stutikāra are not traced in his available works, but they might belong to his missing works. b) According to the Prabandhas, the Drā.s got a place in the life of Siddhasena possibly due to their miraculous association 'but it is really surprising that the Sanmati should not find a place of honour in the life of Siddhasena. May be it was in Prākrit and did not conta in 32 verses.
Among the 23 extant works, only the 5th and 21st Dvā.s mention the name of the author, by slesa, in conclusion. In the Kalyāna-mandira, Kumudacandra is mentioned by śleşd. In the Sanmati the name of Siddha sena is not mentioned by pun. It is only on the strength of reference and the peculiar genius that these works can be attributed to Siddhasena. Though the subject matter and even the language are different, the profound genius of the author is the common feature of all the works. Though there are different opinions about the authorship of the Kalyāṇamandira, its author is in no way inferior to Siddhasena Divākara.
Earlier than 10th or 11th century, there are no references to Dvā.s as the works of Divākara. That the Sanmati is the work of Siddhasena Divākara dates back earlier than Abhayadeva of the 10th century who commented on the Sanmati and is aware of earlier commentators. Two centuries prior to him Haribhadra mentions the Sanmati as the work of Divākara. Thus Sanmati is the work of Siddhasena Divākara, the pupil of VỊddhavādi.
Just as it is disproved that Samantabhadra is the author of the Gandhahasti-makābhāsya on the Tattvārtha, this Gandhahastin, as current in the Svetāmbara tradition, is not Siddhasena Divā