Siddhasenadivākarasuri () was a

Jain monk Jain monasticism refers to the order of monks and nuns in the Jain community and can be divided into two major denominations: the ''Digambara'' and the '' Śvētāmbara''. The monastic practices of the two major sects vary greatly, but the ...

of the

Śvetāmbara The Śvetāmbara (; also spelled Shwetambara, Shvetambara, Svetambara or Swetambara) is one of the two main branches of Jainism, the other being the Digambara. ''Śvetāmbara'' in Sanskrit means "white-clad", and refers to its ascetics' practi ...

sect in the fifth century CE who wrote works on

Jain philosophy Jain philosophy or Jaina philosophy refers to the Ancient India, ancient Indian Indian philosophy, philosophical system of the Jainism, Jain religion. It comprises all the Philosophy, philosophical investigations and systems of inquiry that dev ...

and epistemology. He was like the illuminator of the Jain order and therefore came to be known as ''Divākara'', "Sun". He is credited with the authorship of many books, most of which are not available. ''Sanmatitarka'' ('The Logic of the True Doctrine') is the first major Jain work on logic written in

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

. Among the most popular of his works, the ''Kalyan Mandir Stotra'' is a

hymn dedicated to the 23rd Tirthankara Parshvanatha. It is one of the 9 holiest recitations (Nav Smaran) in the Śvetāmbara Murtipujak sect of

Jainism Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religions, Indian religion whose three main pillars are nonviolence (), asceticism (), and a rejection of all simplistic and one-sided views of truth and reality (). Jainism traces its s ...

. Two references to Siddhasena's Sanmati Tarka and one reference of Siddhasena himself are found in Jinadāsagaṇī Mahattarā's cūrṇi which is believed to have had been written in 676 CE. Therefore, according to Pandit Bechardas Doshi and Pandit Sukhlal Sanghvi's translation of Sanmati Tarka, Siddhasena Divakarasuri was a

ascetic in the 5th century CE.

Life

Siddhasenadivākarasuri is said to have lived in fourth or fifth century CE and is said to have flourished in the

Gupta Empire The Gupta Empire was an Indian empire during the classical period of the Indian subcontinent which existed from the mid 3rd century to mid 6th century CE. At its zenith, the dynasty ruled over an empire that spanned much of the northern Indian ...

. He was a Brahmin by birth and a scholar. He was initiated by ''Acharya'' ''Vṛddhavadisuri''. His name at birth was Kumudchandra. He was a proud Brahmin. However, when he lost a debate to Acharya Vruddhavadisuri, he accepted initiation into the Jain sangha. He came to be known as Acharya Siddhasensuri or Acharya Siddhasenadivākarasuri after he was given the position of an acharya. He is one of the most revered Acharyas of the

sect. According to the tradition, Siddhasenadivākarasuri once planned to translate all the Jaina works from

prakrit Prakrit ( ) is a group of vernacular classical Middle Indo-Aryan languages that were used in the Indian subcontinent from around the 5th century BCE to the 12th century CE. The term Prakrit is usually applied to the middle period of Middle Ind ...

. He was asked by his master to visit all the

Jain temple A Jain temple, Derasar (Gujarati: દેરાસર) or Basadi (Kannada: ಬಸದಿ) is the place of worship for Jains, the followers of Jainism. Jain architecture is essentially restricted to temples and monasteries, and Jain buildings ge ...

s as a punishment. He thus visited the Jain temples for twelve years. He then came upon a Linga temple in Ujjain. He slept at the temple with his feet towards the

Linga A lingam ( , lit. "sign, symbol or mark"), sometimes referred to as linga or Shiva linga, is an abstract or aniconic representation of the Hindu god Shiva in Shaivism. The word ''lingam'' is found in the Upanishads and epic literature, wher ...

, which is a symbol of

Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...

. King

Vikramaditya Vikramaditya (Sanskrit: विक्रमादित्य IAST: ') was a legendary king as mentioned in ancient Indian literature, featuring in traditional stories including those in ''Baital Pachisi, Vetala Panchavimshati'' and ''Singhasan ...

had him beaten for the sin on request of the devotees. However, with miraculous powers, Siddhasenadivākarasuri made that the King's wife receive the beating instead of him, looking at his miraculous powers he was then set free. King Vikramaditya requested Siddhasenadivākarasuri not to sleep in front of the Linga and should start worshipping him, Siddhasenadivākarasuri replied to the king's request stating that the Linga would not be able to handle his devotion and bhakti, thus he then started to praise the lord by residing his composition "The Kalyan Mandir Stotra" as he reached the 11th verse, the sky rumbled, the temple bells started ringing and the Linga opened thus emerging the idol of Avanti Parshwanath from within. This idol is worshipped by the

sect and it is one of the 108 most revered images of the 23rd Tirtankara Parshvanatha as worshipped by the Śvetāmbara Murtipujak sect. It is believed that the idol of Avanti Parshvanath was created and worshipped by

Mahakala Mahākāla (, ) is a deity common to Hinduism and Buddhism. In Buddhism, Mahākāla is regarded as a ''Dharmapala, Dharmapāla'' ("Protector of the Dharma") and a Wrathful deities, wrathful manifestation of a The Buddha, Buddha, while in Hindu ...

himself. He is said to have spent the rest of his life in the vicinity of

Bharuch Bharuch () is a city at the mouth of the river Narmada in Gujarat in western India. Bharuch is the administrative headquarters of Bharuch District. The city of Bharuch and surroundings have been settled since times of antiquity. It was a shi ...

Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...

Thought

Siddhasena's main contribution in the Sanmatitarka is his analysis of the Jaina theory of

Anekantavada (, "many-sidedness") is the Jain doctrine about metaphysical truths that emerged in ancient India. It states that the ultimate truth and reality is complex and has multiple aspects and viewpoints. According to Jainism, no single, specific st ...

. According to Jeffery Long, Siddhasena divides the seven classical Jain ''nayas'' (standpoints, viewpoints) into two categories: "those which affirm the substantiality of existence (dravyāstikanayas) and those which affirm the impermanent, changing aspects of existence (paryāyāstikanayas)." This view sees the best account of reality as one which includes permanence and impermanence, identity and difference in a complex set of contradictory relations. Siddhasena also argued that the number of possible ''nayas'' or viewpoints of reality is potentially limitless. He then goes on to correlate each of the nayas with the positions of Indian philosophical schools, showing how each view is not only partial but also one sided.

Works

He is credited with authorship of - * Sanmati-tarka-prakaraṇa - Prākṛta work on logic consisting of 167 verses divided into 3 kāṇḍas. * Nyāyāvatāra - One of the first Jaina works on Nyāya in Saṃskṛta * Kalyāṇa-mandira-stotra - 44-versed praise to 23rd Jaina Tīrthaṅkara Pārśvanātha. * Dvātriṃśad Dvātriṃśikā - Thirty-two-versed compositions in Saṃskṛta. Out of 32 he authored, only 21 are available today. * Gandhahastivivaraṇa on 1st adhyayana on ācārāgasūtra (not available) * Gandhahastimahābhāṣya on Tattvārthādhigamasūtra (not available)

References

Citations

Sources

* * * * * Shri Abhidhan Rajendra Kosh Vol 5, written by

Acharya Rajendrasuri Acharya Rajendrasuri (3 December 1827 – 21 December 1906) was a Śvetāmbara Jainism, Jain monk and reformer of monk traditions of the 19th century. He wrote many books on Jainism including ''अभिधान राजेंद्र को ...

(1827–1906) * *