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2. THE AUTHORS
1. Bhatta Akalanka
It can be said without much exaggeration that Akalarika is a brilliant personality in the Jaina Philosophical literature ; undoubtedly, he occupies the highest place in the Jaina Nyāya literature. Though the Agamas do contain discussions about Pramāna, the credit goes to Akalarka for the systematic classification of the above with correct phraseology. And thus the Jaina commentators and philosophers of the later period owe
nuch to Akalarka's incisive insight to understand the old classics ; in fact, Akalanka stands independent by himself; and his work has rightly been referred to as Akalanka-Nyāya.
Certainly, Akalanka can be compared with the intellectual giants of other systems of Indian philosophy as referred to above. Akalarka systematised the Jaina logic on the basis of the philosophical expositions of Samantabhadra and Siddhasena. He gave the precise meaning to the terms used in the Agamas and moulded them into a systematic body of thought.
It must be readily admitted that the mediæval period, e.i., the seventh, eighth and ninth centuries, of the Indian Philosophical history is one of a brisk intellectual revolution. Every system of Indian thought was systematised by its respective exponents; this is not all. These exponents subjected other schools of thought to severe criticism. This period has to its credit, the philosophical debates giving opportunity to the exponents and scholars of different schools to study other systems intensively with a view to combat the arguments of the opponent schools. The purpose was not only to win over other schools but to have the royal patronage without which the propagation of the religion would not be effective. The literature of this era exemplifies more refutations of other schools rather than construction of their own systems.
Akalanka was an inspiring philosopher and he himself invited inspiration from without; this he gathered from the attacks on Jaina philosophy by the exponents of other schools, particularly the Buddhist philosophers. In his attempt to defend the teachings of Jaina Āgamas, without being dogmatic, he reconstructed and rejuvenated the Jaina-Nyāya on a firmer foundation.
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