Siddhi Vinischay Tika Part 01

Author(s): Anantviryacharya
Publisher: Bharatiya Gyanpith

Page 66

2. THE AUTHORS: AKALANKA
19.
Dharmottara :
Of all the commentators of Nyāyabindu, Dharmottara is unique. He not only explaind the text verbatim but expounded the ideas embodied in the text. He was the disciple of Arcața ; he must have flourished during the last quarter of 7th c. A.D.
The Jaina Acārya Mallavādi has written a Tippana on Dharmottara's commentary on Nyayabindu. Pt. Malvania has discussed about the date of Mallavādi in his Intro. (p. XXIX) to Dharmottara-pradipa : 'Dr. A. S. Altekar has edited a copper-plate inscription of Karkasuvarņavarsha, a Rāstrakūta king of Gujarat in the Epigraphia Indica (vol. XXI. p. 133). It mentions the names of Mallavādi of the Mūlasamgha-sena-āmnāya, his pupil Sumati and Sumati's pupil Aparājita. This inscription belongs to Saka-Samvat 743. Dr. Altekar conjectures that the author of the Nyāyabindu-tippana is probably this Mallavādi. This view is quite consistent with the date of Dharmottara'.
It is clear that Mallavādi flourished probably in 725 A.D., naturally Dharmottara can be placed in about 700 A.D. He was the author of Nyāya-bindu-tīkā, Prāmānya-parikṣā, Apoha-prakarana, Paraloka-siddhi, Kșanabhanga-siddhi and Pramānaviniscaya-ţikā etc.
With regard to the definition of Mānasapratyakşa, there is a controversy amongst the commentators of Nyāyabindu. Dharmottara criticised the views of śāntabhadra and established that mānasapratyakșa should be regarded as Āgama-siddha and not Yuktisiddha as is accepted by śāntabhadra. Akalanka criticises both of them in his NV (I, 169)1.
20. Karnagomi :
Dharmakirti has written his own commentary on Svarthänumāna chapter of Pramāņavārtika ; Karnagomi has written a commentary on this Vrtti. As has already been discussed elsewhere by us, he is assigned to the early part of the 8th c. A.Da. Rahulji places him in 9th c. A.D.; because Karnagomi refers to Mandana Miśra who according to Rahulji flourished in 9th c. A.D3.
1 Also see NVV where Vädirāja explicitly mentions the names of Sāntabhadra and
Dharmottara with their views. 2 AGT. Intro. p. 30. 3 PVVT. p. 109. Karnagomi quotes Mandana's Kärika—"ahurvidhātr pratyakşam",
with "adultan Mandanena".