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INTRODUCTION
Skandila belonged to Vidyadhari branch started by Vidyadhara Gopal, for the time assigned to Padalipta1 synchronises with the time of Vajra or at the most, his disciple Vajrasena. It is proper, therefore, to suppose that Skandila who came from the family of Padalipta must have belonged to the branch of Vidyadhari and not to the Gaccha of Vidyadhar, which is said to have been started by Vidyadhara, the disciple of Vajrasena. If our conjecture is correct, it follows as a matter of course that Divakara, Vṛddhavadi and Skandila belonged to the Vidyadhara Vara Amnaya i. e. to the branch Vidyadhari started by Vidyadhara Gopala and not to the Gaccha of Vidyadhara.
2. As to the second question there are three points to be discussed :
(a) In the Sthaviravali of the Nandi sutra occurs the name of Skandilacarya Anuyogadhara but no mention is made of the branch or Gaccha to which he belonged; while in the Sthavira vali of Kalpasūtra there is a definite mention of the branch of Vidyadhari but the name of Skandila does not occur there at all. Now as to Padlipta, his name does not occur in any of the two Sthavira valis and, therefore, the statement that Padlipta and Skandila belonged to Vidyadhara Amnaya has no older evidence, but seems to be entirely based on the Prabhavaka Carita. According to tradition, the time of Padlipta is the first or the second century of Vikrama era.
1 Nir. Introduction p. 16.
2 Gatha 33.
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