Prolegomena to Prakritica et Jainica

Author(s): Satyaranjan Banerjee
Publisher: Asiatic Society

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PROLEGOMENA TO PRAKRITICA et JAINICA
Pūjyapāda Devanandin (6th cent). A.D.) wrote a commentary on Umāsvāti's Tattvārtha-sútra, known as Sarvārtha-siddhi. Samantabhadra (600 A.D. or 8th cent. A.D.) also wrote a commentary on Umāsvāti's Tattvārthādhigama-sūtra, the introduction to which is known as Devāgama-stotra or Aptamimāṁsā in which the Jainistic philosophy of Syādvāda is explained. His Yuktyanuśāsana is also another philosophical work. Almost at the same time was Akalanka (10th cent. A.D.) who also wrote a commentary on the Tattvārthādhigamasūtra, known as Tattvārtha-rāja-vārttika. He also wrote a commentary on Samantabhadra's Āptamīmāṁsa, known as Aştaśati. Akalanka is also the author of Nyāyaviniscaya, Laghīyastraya, Svarüpa-sambodhana and Prāyaścittagrantha. Akalanka's views were opposed by Kumārila, while Vidyānanda Pātrakesarin and Prabhācandra defended Akalanka.
In this connection I would like to state the importance of the three eminent Svetāmbara Jaina writers who contributed a lot to the cause of the spread of Jainism through their writings. These authors are, in a sense, pioneers in the field of Jainism. Their enormous compositions on different subjects have enriched the Jain literature to a great extent. There is a gap of nearly five hundred years from each other. They are Haribhadra, Hemacandra and Yasovijaya.
Haribhadrasari, the most distinguished and prolific Jaina writer of the 8th century (705-775 A.D.), is credited with having written the philosophy of Anekānta first. While there were others who also wrote, it was Haribhadrasari who wrote Anekāntajayapatākā to establish the philosophy of manysidedness for judging a thing. Later, of course, there were many Jain scholars who had written on this philosophy following Haribhadrasdri. There were some very powerful authors on both sides, but it was the Digambaras who had contributed a lot to the Anekāntavāda philosophy. It