Sanmati Tarka

Author(s): Siddhasen Divakarsuri, Sukhlal Sanghavi, Bechardas Doshi, Dalsukh Malvania
Publisher: Jain Shwetambar Education Board Paydhoni Mumbai

Page 22

1 SIDDHASENA DIVAKARA
7.
would not be out of place to suppose that a period of nearly 200 years must have elapsed between Jinadasa and Siddhasena.
Now let us look to the Jaina tradition. All the traditions take Siddhasena to be a contemporary of King Vikramaditya and a resident of Ujjaina. It is, however, still a debatable, point in Indian history as to who this Vikrama was and when he lived. Naturally, therefore, this tradition of Vikrama does not help us much in fixing the date of Divukara.
The late Pandita Satiśacandra Vidyābhūṣaṇa1 says that in the assembly of Vikramaditya whom he identifies with Yasodharmadeva of Malava there were nine jewels, that is to say, nine great scholars. Now in the verse which enumerates these scholars there is a mention of a jewel Kṣapaṇaka. This Kṣapanaka according to SatIsacandra is no other than Siddhasena Divākara and thus Vikrama
and Divakar both lived in 530 A.D. or thereabout according to this scholar.
Now there are two errors committed by Satisacandra in fixing this date. The first is that the date of King Vikramaditya cannot be definitely ascertained in this way. His identity with any historical king has not yet
been establishd beyond doubt. Śriman Kalyāṇavijayji2
has written an article in Nāgarī Pracāriņī Patrika on the Nirvana of Mahavira. In that article after advancing
1-H. I. L. p. 174.
2-N, P. P. Vol. 10. No 4.