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110
Studies in Haribhadrasūri
of this creation. Haribhadrasūri announces the title by presenting the subject matter of the work in this manner.
The above discussion about the mangala-verse by the learned scholar is but based on his own imagination. He has explained the quarters 'Bhavya-jana-bodhanārtham nr-tattvanigamam pravaksyāmi' to mean that he is composing this work so that men can acquire the secret of this human life and this creation. The word 'bhavya-jana' is a technical term in the Jaina philosophy, and it means the souls that are qualified for attaining liberation. Thus Haribhadrasūri intends to compose this work in order to enlighten the souls that are prone to liberation. By twisting this simple sense, the whole significance gets lost. Not only that, it does not become clear as to what the author intends to convey. When the author himself calls this work as Nr-tattvanigama, he means the clarification (nigama) or determination (nirnaya) regarding the essence of this human world (nr-tattva), and thus it ultimately means the significance of human world,
In the commentary, named Tarka-rahasya-dīpikā, on the first verse of the Sad-darśana-samuccaya, the commentator has quoted two verses from this work, introducing them with the words: “Tad uktaṁ haribhadrasūribhir eva loka-tattva-nirnaye’. This shows that the work was known by this name at least by the fifteenth century of the Vikrama Era. :
Form: This work, composed in 147 verses in different meters, was first published in 1902 AD, in three parts of 75, 35 and 37 verses, respectively. In the first part deals with cosmology, and discusses various theories about the creation of the world. In the second part in the vss.76–86 he discusses the nature of the Ātman, and in the vss. 87-110, he deals with the treatment of the theory of Karman from the non-Jaina viewpoint. Here the thoughts presented are of those who give unwarranted importance to Svabhāva, Niyati, or Pariņāma. In the third part comprising vss. 111-147 the non-Jaina beliefs are refuted.
