Nyayavatara and Nayakarnika

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

Page 91

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Siddhasena and his Works
Reasoning was valued morc than tradition. Religious disputations were being favoured by kings and the code of these debates was not very healthy. Poets praised the kings though all of them were not very worthy. Vikramāditya was a great king of the times. He was endowed with outstanding qualities. There was a struggle between orthodoxy and progressiveness. Both Siddhasena and Kālidāsa raised their voice against the dictum that old is gold. Mystic practices were in vogue. The kings employed spying and achieved success by any means. On the whole people were devoted to religion, but there were doubters as well. A Hindu king Vikramāditya uprooted the Śakas and founded the Saka era. VI) AIM OF SIDDHASENA'S WORKS—Siddhasena has indicated the forces which compelled him to write. As an ascetic, he was to follow the path of salvation and get rid of samsāra. To understand the scriptures he laid stress on the Nayavāda. It is this that led him to write the Sanmati. Correct knowledge of Pramāṇas and Nayas is very essential for the liberation of the self. These two are discussed in the Nyāyāvatāra. He was out to glorify his own religion. He has, therefore, studied different systems of philosophy so that he could prove how the religion of Jina is superior. He wanted to place before his readers the Nisca yadrsti; and, in this direction, he has made worthy efforts in all his works. For the first time he introduced systematic logic among that Jainas and popularised the Sanskrit language. His was a religious mission with a view to presenting the doctrines of Mahāvīra in a consistent manner. VII) SIDDHASENA'S PERSONALITY-Siddhasena was a manifold personality with mastery over many subjects. He was a great poet, philosopher, saint, dialectician, grammarian, astrologer and so on.
He was a man of learning quite proficient in different Brahmanical schools of philosophy as well as in Buddhism and in Jainism. He had mastered the Jaina scriptures including perhaps the Drstivāda. He showed acquaintance with polity and government organisation; and references to this effect are found in his Stutis. He knew Āyurveda and Ugrāditya makes a reference to him. He uses plenty of technical terms from