न्यायदर्शने श्रीकण्ठटिप्पणकम्: Nyayadarsane Srikanthapatnakam-A Commentary on the Major Nyaya-Texts (An Old and Rare Book)

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Of the known Vrttis simultaneously comment- ing on the major Nyaya texts, the Srikantha- tippanaka is the second following the Tätparya- vivara?apañjika of Aniruddha. The Tippanaka has served as the model to the Nyäyälamkara of Abhayatilakopadhyaya. Aniruddha was a pre- Udayana author while the other two succeeded him. All the three v?ttikaras maintained the position of the prãcinanyaya which is charac- terised by enmity towards the Buddhists, devotion to the entire Nyayadarsana together with occasional dependence on the Vaisesika. The later Nyaya commentators in Mithila and Bengal became influenced by neo-logic which has the Prabhakara Mimamsists for its opponent and attached importance to select topics only. The only MS. calls the present work an Avacürni, an epithet current in Western India.

Much is not known about Srikanthacarya, the author of the Tippanakam. He flourished in Western India in c. 12th century A.D. and was known to Gunaratnasuri. Abhayatilakopadhyaya (13th cent. A.D.) of the Kharataragaccha of the Svetambara Jainas follows Srikantha in his Nyayalamkära. Srikantha had intimate know- ledge of the different branches of learning, especially of the philosophical schools as is attested by the extant portion of the Tippanaka. Srikantha probably left his work unfinished.

The undersigned is glad to present in the following pages the available portions of the Srikanthatippapaka edited from a photo copy of a paper MS. received through the good offices of his late lamented friend Dr. J. S. Jetly. The original is preserved in the Jaisalmir Jaina Bhandara. It covers ff 567b-615a of a big bundle of MSS. comprising the Nyayabha?ya, the Nyayavärttika, the Tätparyatika the Tatparyaparisuddhi, the Nyayalamkara of Abhayatilaka Upadhyaya and the present work. Unfortunately one complete folio (No. 598) escaped the camera. As a result, the comments on the portions covered by pp. 376-388 of the Parisuddhi along with the related portions of the Tika, Varttika and the Bhasya could not be gathered.

When faced with the problem of the antiquity of the Nyayasastra, Jayantabhatta declares that it is eternal like the Vedas and the respective authors have either elaborated or summarised what they received from tradition. In fact, we come across Vedic passages which bear close relation with Nyaya categories and the history of the system.

The Nyayadarsana of Ak?apada Gautama is a vada-treatise dealing with sixteen categories which are directly or remotely connected with the ascertainment of truth or establishment thereof in a debate. The sage Bhargava Yamadagni of the Rgveda prays to Mitra and Varuna for protection from the onslaughts of the enemies who do not offer sacrifice, make repeated enquires about the true nature of things nor enter into debates with the adepts for ascertaining the truth". Evidently, respectful enquires, sacrifies, and debates formed the main characteristics of the cultured Aryan. We come across numerous samvadas in the Vedic and classical literature. Aksapada's treatise must have been composed to regulate the sam- vadas which were held in the sacrificial assemblies, the asramas of the sages and the royal courts as the epics show.