________________
Jaina Epistemology and Logic : Development and Doctrines
87
Vidyābhuşaņa mentioned Siddhasena Divākara as the father of Jaina Logic and recognized his Nyāyāvatāra as the first work on Jaina logic. (A History of Indian Logic p. 173). Hence it is an important work for Jaina Logic. Siddharşiganin, a philosopher of the ninth century wrote a comprehensive commentary on it. Siddhasena Divākara tells about pramāņa-prameya-vyavasthā (systematization regarding organ of valid cognition and knowable objects), that although it is eternal and famous for all its users, it is presented again to remove ignorance about its nature."
"This system of valid cognitive criteria is having neither any beginning nor any end, also it is well known to all people in daily life, even thought it is propounded here."
"Objective of defining these famous valid organs of knowledge, is to remove delusions or illusions of the people of deluded minds."
M.A. Dhaky (1995 : 43-46) is of the view that Siddharşigațin, the commentator of Nyāyāvatāra’ was himself the writer of Nyāyāvatāra, but his opinion does not seem acceptable, because if Siddharşigaộin (9th century) would have written it, then he must have mentioned smộti, pratyabhijñāna and tarka as pramāņa because before the advent of Siddharşiganin, Bhaťța Akalanka emphatically established them as pramāņa. Piotr Balcerowicz (2008 : Preface) has assumed that the author of Nyāyāvatāra is Mahamati
'NA verse 32 and 3:
Pramāņādi - vyavastheyamanadinidhanātmikā, Sarva samvyavaharatrnām prasiddhāpi prakirtītā. Prasiddhānām pramāņānām lakṣaṇoktau prayojanam Tadvyāmohanivrtih syād vyāmudha manasāmiha.
