Aaptamimansabhasya Evam Savivruttiya Laghiyastraya Ke Uddharano Ka Adhyayan - Book Summary

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Book Title: A Study of the Quotations in Akalankadeva's Aaptamimansabhasya and Savivruttiya Laghiyastraya Author: Kamleshkumar Jain Publisher: Z_Nirgrantha_1_022701.pdf and Nirgrantha_2_022702.pdf and Nirgrantha_3_022703.pdf Catalog Link: https://jainqq.org/explore/229094/1

This study, authored by Kamleshkumar Jain, focuses on the extensive use of quotations and references found within two significant works of the renowned Jain philosopher Akalankadeva: the Aaptamimansabhasya (also known as Ashtashati) and the Savivruttiya Laghiyastraya.

Introduction: The author begins by highlighting the depth and complexity of Jain literature, produced by Jain scholars who engaged in profound contemplation across various fields of knowledge. A key characteristic of this literature is the practice of citing, reviewing, criticizing, or refuting principles and philosophical views from other traditions (Jain and non-Jain) to clarify, validate, or emphasize their own points. Many of these cited works are no longer available, and even extant texts often show variations in their readings. The quotations primarily originate from Vedic literature, ancient Jain Agamas, Buddhist literature, and the six schools of Indian philosophy, as well as secular, ethical, and literary texts. The author emphasizes that the authenticity of these quotations is self-evident, as they were taken from texts available to the Jain acharyas at the time they were written. Studying these citations can help in determining the timelines of authors, identifying missing links, and even rectifying or modifying existing texts based on these earlier references.

Focus of the Study: This particular essay aims to present a concise study of the quotations found in Akalankadeva's Aaptamimansabhasya and Savivruttiya Laghiyastraya.

Akalankadeva (c. 720-780 CE): Akalankadeva is presented as a distinguished scholar and a preeminent philosophical writer in the Jain tradition. His works are characterized by a strong emphasis on logic and the prominence of his ideas. His writing period is considered the "midday" of the Buddhist era, a time when Buddhism held significant influence in philosophical, religious, political, and literary spheres. This context likely explains the frequent critique and analysis of Buddhist doctrines found in Akalankadeva's writings.

Detailed Analysis of Quotations:

1. Aaptamimansabhasya (Ashtashati): Akalankadeva includes a total of ten quotations in his commentary on Aaptamimamsa (also known as Devagama or Aptamimamsa) by Samantabhadra. This commentary is also called Devagama Vivriti and Ashtashati due to its approximately 800 verses. The author details specific instances:

Verse 21 Commentary: Quotes "No-utpattiyadih Kriyaah, Kshanikasya Tad-asambhavat. Tto-asiddho Hetu" (Actions do not have a beginning, etc., because they are not possible for the momentary. Therefore, the cause is unproven). The source of this quote is currently unknown. Another quote from the same verse, "Tatah Suktam" (As it is said), is "Yadekantena Sadasadva Tannotpatatum Arhati, Vyomavandhyasutavat" (That which is exclusively existent or non-existent cannot arise, like the son of a barren woman). The source for this also remains undiscovered.
Verse 53 Commentary: Quotes "Na Tasya Kinchid Bhavati Na Bhavatyeva Kevalam" (Nothing happens to it, nor does it not happen at all). This is identified as the latter half of a verse from Dharmakirti's Pramana-vartika.
Verse 76 Commentary: Quotes "Yuktya Yannam Ghaṭṭyamupaiti Tadaham Dṛṣṭvāpi Na Śraddadhe" (What does not arise by reasoning, I do not believe even after seeing it). The original source is unknown.
Verse 80 Commentary: Quotes "Sanhopalambha-niyamad-bhedo Nil-taddhiyoḥ" (Due to the rule of simultaneous perception, there is no difference between blue and the cognition of blue). This is taken from Pramana-vinishchaya.
Verse 89 Commentary: Quotes the verse: "Tadrishi Jayate Buddhir-vyavasaayaashca Tadrishaḥ. Sahaayaastadrishaḥ Santi Yaadṛśii Bhavitavyataa" (Such is the intellect that arises, and such are the determinations. Such are the helpers that exist, as is fate). The source of this verse is also not yet identified.
Verse 101 Commentary: Quotes the sutra "Sarvadravyaparyayeshu Kevalasya" (Of the unique essence in all substances and their modes).
Verse 105 Commentary: Quotes the sutra "Mati-śrutayornirbandho Dravyeshvasarvaparyayeshu" (Perception and scripture are the basis for substances with non-all-encompassing modes). These two sutras are identified as being from Umāsvāti's Tattvartha Sutra.
Verse 106 Commentary: Quotes the phrase "Nityatvaikāntapakṣe'pi Vikriyā No-papadyate" (Even in the view of absolute eternality, transformation is not possible), which is the first half of a verse from Aaptamimamsa itself. Another quote from the same verse is provided: "Arthasyānekarūpasya Dhīḥ Pramāṇaṃ Tad-aṃśa-dhīḥ. Nayo Dharmāntarāpekṣī Dur-nayastannirākr̥tiḥ" (The cognition of the multifaceted nature of reality is the means of knowledge, and knowledge of its aspects. A perspective depends on other attributes; a wrong perspective is its negation). The first part of this verse is found verbatim in Verse 299 of Akalankadeva's Nyaya-vinishchaya, but the rest does not match. The author suggests it's possible that both these verses were based on another text, which might have influenced the composition of the Nyaya-vinishchaya verse.

2. Savivruttiya Laghiyastraya: Akalankadeva uses eight quotations in Laghiyastraya.

Vivṛtti of Verse 3: Mentions the opinion of another disputant with the word "Apara" (another). The statement is: "Nahitattvajñānamityeva Yathārthaniṛṇayasādhanaṃ" (It is not that the knowledge of reality itself is the means of true determination). The commentator Prabhāchandrāchārya identifies this as Dignāga's view. However, the commentator of Siddhi-vinishchaya attributes it to Dharmottara, while other acharyas agree with this attribution.
Vivṛtti of Verse 8: Mentions the phrase "Arthakriyā-samarthaṃ Paramaartha-sat Ityangikṛtya" (Accepting that which is capable of producing an effect as the ultimate reality). This phrase is part of a verse from Pramana-vartika.
Vivṛtti of Verse 12: Quotes the sentence "Tannāpratyakṣa-vyatiriktam Pramāṇam" (Therefore, no instrument of knowledge is different from perception). This is attributed to a Buddhist acharya and is also found in Akalankadeva's Pramana-sangraha.
Vivṛtti of Verse 23: Begins with the sentence "Sarvataḥ Samhṛtya Chintāṃ Stimita-ntarātmanā Sthito'pi Cakṣuṣāṃ Rūpaṃ" (Having withdrawn contemplation from all sides, and with a calmed inner self, even when stationary, the eye perceives form). This sentence is identified as an exact quote from a verse in Pramana-vartika.
Vivṛtti of Verse 28: Quotes the sentence "Vaktur-abhipreta-mātrasya Sūchakaṃ Vacanaṃ Tva-iti" (Speech merely indicates what the speaker intends). While the exact source is not found, the gist is present in Pramana-vartika, its commentary Manoratha Nandi, and Mokṣākaragupta's Tarka-bhasha.
Vivṛtti of Verse 41: Quotes the verse "Guṇānāṃ Paramaṃ Rūpaṃ" (The supreme form of qualities). This verse is attributed by Vācaspati Miśra (commentator on Shankara's commentary on Yoga Sutras) to Vārṣaganya. However, other commentaries on Yoga Sutras attribute it to the Ṣaṣṭitantra Shastra. The Yoga Bhashya also cites this verse as a scriptural instruction.
Vivṛtti of Verse 44: Quotes the sentence "Nahibuddher-akāraṇaṃ Viṣayaḥ" (The object is not without a cause for cognition). Its original location has not been found.
Vivṛtti of Verse 54: Quotes the sentence "Indriya-manasī Karaṇaṃ Vijñānasya Artho Viṣayaḥ" (The senses and mind are the cause of cognition, the object is its subject). The source of this sentence is unknown, but it is also quoted in Vādirājasūri's Nyaya-vinishchaya-vivaraṇa and Vidyānanda's Śloka-vārtika, with a reference to Akalankadeva.
Vivṛtti of Verse 57: Quotes the sentence "Nānanukṛtānvaya-vyatirekaṃ Karaṇaṃ Nākaraṇaṃ Viṣayaḥ" (A cause is not one that does not have an admitted concomitance of presence and absence, and an object is not one that is not a cause). Akalankadeva calls this a "foolish verse" (vālīśagīta). This sentence is found in many other texts.
Another quote from Vivṛtti of Verse 54: The phrase "Timirāśabhramaṇanauyāna-saṅkṣobhād" is taken from the commentary Nyāyabindu-vistara on Dharmakīrti's Nyāyabindu.
Part of Verse 65: The latter half of a verse, "Vakābhipretamātrasya Sūchakaṃ Vacanaṃ Tva-iti," is quoted, which has become part of the original verse. Its source is not identified.
End of Vivṛtti for Verses 66-67: The text "Tataḥ Tirthakaravachana-sangraha-visheṣa-pras-tāramūla-vyākaraṇau Dravyaarthika-paryayaarthikau" appears. This is identified as the Sanskrit translation of the third gāthā of Āchārya Siddhasena Divākara's Sanmati-prakaraṇa.

Conclusion: The study concludes by reiterating that Akalankadeva drew quotations from the works of various acharyas like Umāsvāti, Samantabhadra, Dharmakīrti, Āryavinitadeva, Vārṣaganya, Siddhasena, Dignāga, and Dharmottara, among others. Given that Akalankadeva's works primarily deal with philosophical topics, it is natural that his quotations are predominantly from philosophical and logical texts. He engaged in criticism and review of the views of famous logicians and authors of his time or preceding it, using many citations from their original works.

The author notes that some quoted sentences or phrases within these two works have become integrated into the commentary or verses themselves, making them appear as the author's own composition. The effort to trace the original sources of these quotations has been made, and the search for the remaining unidentified sources is ongoing. The ultimate goal is to compile such verses and sentences from various texts, which will greatly assist in determining the chronology of authors, recovering lost links, and bringing them to light.

The footnotes indicate that this essay is part of a larger project on the study of quotations in Jain Sanskrit commentary literature.