Book Title: Studies In Umasvati And His Tattvartha Sutra
Author(s): G C Tripathi, Ashokkumar Singh
Publisher: Bhogilal Laherchand Institute of Indology
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Tattvārthasūtra Commentaries of Karnataka
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and other problems, I must make it clear that all the commentaries of Karnataka are very much the blue-prints or abridged versions of Sarvārthasiddhi, except the works of Akalanka and Vidyānandi. Sarvārthasiddhi has been edited and translated into Kannada by D. Padmanābha Sharma (1988). The methodology of Kannada text is as follows: Original sūtras of Tattvārthasūtra, a bhāvārtha a paraphrase for each sūtra of Umāsvāti, Sanskrit commentary of Pūjyapāda (transliteration), a bhāvārtha free rendering into Kannada language of Pūjyapāda's commentary along with an extra explanation given to supplement the opinion of Pūjyapāda. The Hindi edition of Phoolchand Shastry's translation of Sarvārthasiddhi (1971) has helped the Kannada editor.
The Akalanka ācārya's [c. 730–50] Tattvārtha-rājavārtika is a master-piece which abounds in quotations from Buddhist works, especially from the texts of Dinnāga (c. fifth century). It is this that has created some legends woven around the life of the brilliant Akalankadeva. Though he has been influenced by Pūjyapāda, Akalankadeva's originality and genius is crystalised in the commentary. Albeit, Akalanka also does not mention the name of Umāsvāti. The same may be said of ācārya Vidyānandi (A.D. 900-50) who in his Tattvārtha-ślokavārtika has comprised the basic textual material used by the advanced students in Digambara monasteries.
Sukhabodhā commentary in Sanskrit of Bhāskaranandin (c.13–14th century), abounds in quotations from Akalanka's Rājavārtika. Bhāskaranandi's clarity and simplicity of style is appreciable. Not much is known about the life and time of the learned commentator except that he is believed to be a pupil of Jina-candra-bhaāraka who is referred to in the Śravanabelagola charter (EC. II (R) 79 (69)] of the twelfth century. At the very beginning, Bhāskaranandi, the commentator makes his
