Akalanka

For other people named Akalanka, see Akalanka (given name).

Akalanka [IAST: Akalaṅka] (also known as Akalaṅkadeva and Bhatta Akalaṅka) was a Jain logician whose Sanskrit-language works are seen as landmarks in Indian logic.^[1][2] He lived from 720 to 780 C. E. and belonged to the Digambara sect of Jainism.^[1][3] His work Aṣṭaśatī, a commentary on Āptamīmaṃsa of Acharya Samantabhadra deals mainly with Jaina logic. He was a contemporary of Rashtrakuta king Krishna I. He is the author of Tattvārtharājavārtika, a commentary on major Jain text Tattvartha Sutra. He greatly contributed to the development of the philosophy of Anekantavada and is therefore called the "Master of Jain logic".^[4][5]

Acharya Shri 108 Akalanka Ji Maharaj
Image of Acharya Akalanka
Personal life
Born	720 CE
Died	780CE
Religious life
Religion	Jainism
Sect	Digambara

Life

Akalanka flourished in 750 C. E.^[6] He was aware of the contents of the Angas, although it cannot be said whether they represent an idea rather than a reality for him, and he also seems to have been the first Digambara to have introduced as a valid form of scriptural classification the division into kalika and utkalika texts which was also employed by the Śvetāmbaras.^[7] He is mentioned as a logician and a contemporary of Subhatunga and Rashtrakuta king Krishna I.^[6]

The samadhi of Acharya Akalanka is located between Thurupammor and Karanthai villages, at a distance of 19 km from Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu.

Works

The following Sanskrit-language works are attributed to Akalanka. Some of these are:^[8][9]

1. Laghīyastraya: A compendium of three small treatises - Pramāṇapraveśa, Nayapraveśa, and Pravacanapraveśa.^[10]
2. Pramānasaṅgraha: A work on epistemology or pramāṇa.
3. Nyāyaviniścaya: A work dealing with perception, inference and pravacana.^[10]
4. Siddhiviniscaya-vivarana
5. Aṣṭaśatī: A short but important commentary on Samantabhadra's Aptamimamsa.^[10]
6. Tattvārtharājavārtika: A commentary on Tattvartha Sutra resembling to Nyāyavārtika of Udyotakara^[10]

See also

• Acharya Shri Akalanka Educational Trust
• Karanthai Samadhi of Acharya Akalanka at Thurupammor-Karanthai, Tamil Nadu ^[11]
• Devardhigani Kshamashraman
• Hemachandra
• Hiravijaya