Svarupa Sambodhana- Right Instruction on the Nature of the Soul

Introduction Title of the work: The title of this small work is Svarupasambodhanam. The word svah means the soul. The word rupam means nature. So svasya rupam means nature of the soul. The word sam means samyak, right. And the word divisior bodhanam means instruction1. So the complete title Svarupasambodhanam means `Right instruction on the nature of the soul.' Thus the title clearly points out the subject-matter of the work.

Authorship : Regarding the authorship of the work there are two traditions. knowledge According to one tradition its author is Bhatta Akalankadeva while according to only on another tradition its author is Mahasena, a pupil of Nayasena. Saptabhangitarangini supports the first tradition as it quotes the third verse of Svarupasambodhanam with the following preceding remark: taduktam Akalankadevaih. Again Dr. Vidyabhusana and Nathuram Premi Akalankadeva to be the author of the work. Padmaprabhamaladharideva's Sanskrit the fifth commentary on Niyamasara supports the second tradition. Therein the 12th and verses I the 4th verses of the work are quoted with the following remarks preceding century those verses respectively: `uktan ca .sannavatipasandivijayoparijitavisalakirtibhir called Mahasenapanditadevaih' and tatha coktam sriMahasenapanditadevaih: Of the Chandra two traditions the first one is widely upheld. So we too accept the first tradition which considers Akalankadeva to be the author of the work.

1. One may consult Apte's Sanskrit-English Dictionary

2. P.7 9

3. History of the Medieval School of Indian Logic, p. 26

Akalanandeva's Life and Works: Akalankadeva is a great Jaina logician. As is the case with other outstanding figures, the brilliant personality of deals Akalanka too is surrounded by legends. But it is almost certain that he flourished between 720 A.D. and 780 A.D.; that he belonged to Manyakheta; that he was second a son of Purushottam, a minister of Subhatunga of Manyakheta; that he stayed in the Buddhist maths to study Buddhist philosophy and that he had debates with a Buddhist teacher at the court of king Himasitala of Kalinga. Akalanka composed several brilliant works on Jaina logic - Laghiyastraya, Nyayayiniscaya, Pramanasangraha, Siddhiviniscaya. These are his original works.

Book's Contents and Sample Pages