Vidyananda And Patrakesari Are They Identical

Author(s): H R Rangaswamy Iyengar
Publisher: H R Rangaswamy Iyengar

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Nos. 3 & 4 )
VIDYANANDA AND PÁTRAKESARI
occasion to refer to him contains any reference to his othername, Pātrakesari. All these make us doubt the veracity of the statement in the Samyaktvaprakāśa.
The note in the manuscript of Adipurāņa under reference does not take us too far. It is a note made either by the scribe or by the owner of the manuscript. It is unsafe to draw conclusions depending on such a note, the authenticity of which itself is questionable. Even granting that it is authentic, it does not prove the identity of the author of the Slokavārtika and Patrakesari. The note only suggests that Pātrakesari had another name Vidyānanda. It may be that Pātrakesari had the title “ Vidyānanda". But this is not enough to prove that Pätrakesari was identical with Vidyānanda, the author of Slokavārtika.
We know from inscriptions as well as from Buddhist and Jaina literatures that Pātrakesari was a great teacher who contributed largely to the development and systematization of Jaina Logic and Philosophy. According to the story in the Kathākośa, which Mr. Pathak has quoted in full in his article, “Dharmakirti's Trilakṣaṇahetu”, Pātrakesari, assisted by Goddess Paạmāvatī refuted the Trilakṣaṇa doctrine in the well-known verse,
Anyathānu papannatvam yatra tatra trayeņa kim /
Nānyathānupapannatvam yatra tatra trayeņa kim/ This story is further alluded to in the Śravaņabe !go la inscriptions“ dated S. S. 1050 as follows
Mahimā sa Pátrakesari guroh param bhavati yasya bhaktyā. sit:Padmāvatisahāyā trilakşana kadarthanam kartum /
"Exceedingly great indeed is the glory of Pātrakesari, who owing to his devotion, was assisted by Goddess Padmāvati in refuting the doctrtne of Trilakşapa." The verse, beginning with "anyathānupapannatyam” which is considered to express the refutation of the Buddhist doctrine by Pātrakesari is found quot. ed in the Pramāņa-parikşā and Ślokavartika of Vidyānanda while criticising in detail the doctrine of Trilakşaņa defended by Dharmakirti in his Nyāyabindu and the Pramāņavārtika, which is
3. Annals of the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, Vol. XII part I pp. 71-80.
4. Sravanbelgola Inscriptions-No. 67. . .
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