Siddhasena

Acharya Shri 108 Siddhasena Divakara Ji Maharaj

Image of digambar acharya (head of the monastic order)
Religion Jainism
Sect Digambara
Personal
Born 5th century CE
Died 5th century CE
Religious career
Works Nyāyāvatāra

Siddhasēna Divākara (Magadhi Prakrit: सिद्दसेन दिवाकर) was an Digambara monk in the fifth century CE. He was the best known Jain scholar of the time. He was like the illuminating lamp of the Jain order and therefore came to be known as Divākara "Lamp-Maker". He is credited with the authorship of many books, most of which are not available. Sanmatitarka is his best book on logic and is widely read even at present. The Kalyāṇamandirastōtram was also composed by him.

Life

Siddhasena Divakara is said to have lived from 500 CE to 610 CE. He was a Brahmin by birth and a scholar. He was initiated by Acharya Vruddhavadi.[1] According to the tradition, Siddhasena Divakara once planned to translate all the Jaina works from prakrit to Sanskrit. He was asked by his master to visit all the Jain temples 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, which is a symbol of Shiva. King Vikramaditya had him beaten for the sin on request of the devotees. However, with miraculous powers, Siddhasena Divakara made that the King's wife received the beating instead of him. He was then set free. He broke the Linga by raising his hand and an idol of Parshvanatha emerged from there.[2]

Works

He was the author of Sammati-tarka-prakarana and is said to have written the Nyāyāvatāra, Sanmati sutra and Kalyan Mandir stotra.[1][3]

Notes

  1. 1 2 Natubhai Shah 2004, p. 49.
  2. ↑ Glasenapp 1999, pp. 126–127.
  3. ↑ Balcerowicz & Mejor 2004, p. 313.

References

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