सारस्वताचार्य समन्तभद्र : व्यक्तित्व और कर्तृत्व

Summary

The text discusses the life and works of Ācārya Samantabhadra, a revered Digambara Jain scholar and ascetic. His dating is debated, with estimates ranging from the 2nd to the 7th century Vikrama, though evidence suggests he preceded Ācārya Pūjyapāda. He was a prince from Uragapura in the Phaṇimaṇḍala region (Tamil Nadu) and took initiation at Kāñcī (modern Kāñcīpuram). His pre-monastic name is suggested to have been Śāntivarman. He was a master of Sanskrit, Prakrit, Kannada, and Tamil, and was deeply learned in philosophy, logic, grammar, astrology, poetry, and history. Known as a proponent of *syādvāda* (the doctrine of conditional predication), he was called *syādvāda-vidyāpati* and *syādvāda-agraṇī*. He was a formidable debater, traveling to major intellectual centers like Pāṭaliputra, Mālava, Sindhu, Kāñcī, Vidiśā, and Karahāṭaka to engage in philosophical disputations. His poetic skill was highly praised; his hymns, such as the *Svayambhūstotra*, are noted for their verbal and semantic richness, including verses readable in both forward and reverse order. His major works include the *Āptamīmāṃsā*, a foundational text on the nature of an authoritative person (*āpta*), with commentaries by Akalaṅka and Vidyānanda; the *Svayambhūstotra*, a hymn to the twenty-four Tīrthaṅkaras; the *Yuktyanuśāsana*, a concise philosophical work; the *Stutividyā*, a hymn of praise featuring complex wordplay; and the *Ratnakaraṇḍa Śr