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2. THE AUTHORS: ANANTAVIRYA
commentators, Anantavirya refers to himself as Ravibhadrapadopajīvi; suggestive of his distinctness from vṛddha Anantavirya.
In order to determine the date of Anantavirya it is essential to rely upon the internal evidences of SVT. The following comparative study will help us determine the age of Anantavirya, the author of SVT.
Vidyananda:
Acārya Anantavirya quotes: uho matinibandhanaḥ, in SVT (p. 189). This sentence occurs in TSLV (I. 13. 99) of Vidyananda in this form: 'samaropachhiduho'tra mānam malīnibandhanaḥ. In the present work SVT (p. 6) the author refers to some 'svayuthya'1 according to whom 'śraddhākutuhalotpada' is deemed as the purpose of adivakya; the refutation of this is quoted in SVT taken from TSLV with the word 'apare'. Therefore we can say that the works of Vidyānanda must have been before our Anantavirya. Hence Anantavirya cannot be prior to 850 A.D.
Acarya Vādidevasūri in his SR (p. 350), commenting upon Vidyananda's contention of the non-difference between dharana and samskära refers to Anantavirya as repeating the same view 'tadevāvadat'. Hence it can be rightly said that Anantavirya is posterior to Vidyananda, or, in other words Anantavirya belongs to the tradition of Vidyananda's school of thought.
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Anantakirti :
Laghusarvajñasiddhi (LSS) and Bṛhat sarvajnasiddhi of Anantakirti are published in Laghiyastrayādi-samgraha; a careful reading will convince that Anantakirti was a renowned scholar of his time. In his sarvajñasiddhi; he has refuted the Brahmanic tradition of apaureṣayatva of the Vedas; he established the validity of the Canons taught only by the omniscient person. In the pūrvapaksa of the section dealing with omniscience (BSS, Pp. 131-142) he refers to 64 verses in order beginning with 'yajjätiyaiḥ pramānaistu'; the same verses are quoted by Santisūri in his NVVV in the same order; out of these verses some belong to MSLV, PV, and TS Säntisūri, in NVVV (p. 77) quotes 'svapnavijñānaṁ yat spaṣṭamutpadyate ityanantakīrtyādayah by which he refers to Anantakirti's view that dream-knowledge is the same as mental perception. This is the view held by Anantakirti, the author of BSS, in these words: 'tatha svapnajñāne canakṣaje' pi vaiśadyamupalabhyate'2 The period of Santisuri lies, according to Pt. Dalsukha Malvania, some where in the middle of 993-11623.
1 SVT, p. 6. BSS, p. 151.
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NVVV, Intro. p. 151.
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