Yasovijaya
Encyclopedia
Yaśovijaya a seventeenth century (1624–1688) Jain philosopher-monk was one of India’s greatest philosopher
and logician. He was a thinker, prolific writer and commentator who had a strong and lasting influence on Jainism
. He was a disciple of Muni Nayavijaya in the lineage of famous Jain monk Hiravijaya (belonging to the Tapa Gaccha tradition of Svetambara
Jains) who influenced the Mughal Emperor
Akbar to give up eating meat.
district in Gujarat in 1624 CE. Some sources place his year of birth as 1608 CE. His childhood name was Jasha. He belonged to the endogamous group of Oswal
Jains. His lost his father when he was very young and consequently he was brought up by his mother. The inclination towards religious life was inculcated by his mother, who often used to take him to Jain upashrayas. Young Yasovijaya attracted attention of Jain monk Nayavijayaji who was impressed by his impressive memory feat of remembering the Bhaktamara Stotra
at a very young age.
in the company of his teacher Nayavijaya, both having disguised themselves as brahmins to get into the matha
. By some accounts, he was sent by his guru to Varanasi to study logic
and philosophy
along with another disciple Vinayvijaya. Other sources indicate, he had gone to Varanasi on his own in 1626, disguised as a brahmin. By around 1638 he confessed that he was a Jain monk and was at once asked to leave the matha. But the sources are unanimous that for around 12 years he studied Sanskrit
, Prakrit
, logic and Metaphysics. He became skilled in the field of Navya-Nyāya
branch of logic and thus earned the titles Upajjhaya
(teacher), Nyayavisharada (one who is skilled in logic) and Nyayacarya (authority on logic).
According to Jonardon Ganeri, Yasovijaya’s intellectual biography can be seen as falling under three heads: an apprenticeship in Varanasi studying Navyanyaya, a period writing Jaina philosophical
treatises using the techniques and methods of Navyanyaya, and a time spent writing works with a markedly spiritual and religious orientation. One of the decisive events in the process leading to this transformation was Yasovijaya’s meeting with Anandaghana, a Jain spiritual poet.
He was a prolific writer and is said to have authored around 100 works in Sanskrit
and Gujarati
. After a career as a monk, philosopher, author, poet and logician, for almost 80 years, he died at Dabhoi
, Gujarat in 1688 CE.
calls Yasovijaya as the last truly great intellectual figure in Jainism
, who rose to fame on account of his learning and mastery of sophisticated logical techniques as well for his interest of mysticism in later life. Yasovijaya often refers to the 8th Century Jain scholar-monk Acarya Haribhadra
in his works, indicating that he saw himself as Haribhadra's successor. Haribhadra's reputation for being influenced only by the logical cogency of the doctrines and viewpoints (anekantavada
) ultimately shaped Yasovijayas irenic but sometimes critical attitude towards other sects and traditions. Yasovijaya had not only studied all the great Svetambara authors from the oldest to the latest, he was also well read in important Digambara
works. He wrote several important Navyanyaya works on Digambara Nyaya texts such as the Aptamimamsa of Acarya Samantabhadra. The Jain tradition is remarkably ecumenical when it comes to Nyaya and Acaryas of both the Digambara and the Shvetambara traditions have composed texts in the genre of Nyaya and the texts are read by monks and scholars of both traditions. Furthermore, Yasovijaya he was well versed in philosophy of diverse schools such as Vedantic, Sankhya, Yoga
, Mimāṃsā
and Buddhist.
’s view of niscaya naya, that only a soul that possesses the most essential property of the soul—cognitive capacity—is jiva. This means that according to Kundakunda only a released soul is jiva from the standpoint of niscaya naya. While both position have valid logic, Yasovijaya criticised this view as it had no support from any prior authors.
philosophy as being too confused in their understanding of the topic of liberation even to be said to have a ‘view’. He also confronted the brahmin scholar Raghunatha Siromani
, one of the greatest exponent of modern logic during his time, thus proving his extraordinary talent. Paul Dundas notes that, Yasovijaya also criticized the famous Digambara
Jain monk Kundakunda
for his more reliance on one standpoint. He also strongly attacked the laity based Adhyatmika sect whose de-emphasis on the role of rituals and ascetics was derived from works of Kundakunda
and his commentators. At the same time, Yasovijaya also opposed the views of Svetambara
monk Dharmasagara for his supremacist perspective of Jainism and exclusivist refusal to accept validity of any religious path except that of Tapa Gachchha
(a sub-sect of Svetambara Jains).
Despite his eminence and influence, one criticism leveled against Yasovijaya is that he is best known for his Navya-Nyaya commentaries of earlier existing works rather than his own original works. Furthermore, his works on Yoga, dhyana, grammar and poetry did not gain much fame, as the works of Haribhadra and Hemacandra on these topics were already established and famous by the time Yasovijaya came on the scene. His fame largely rests on his mastery of navyanyaya, for which he had no contemporary rival. This could be because, for almost six centuries between Hemacandra and Yasovijaya, Jainism did not produce any able scholar on philosophy of nyaya.
. After Acarya Haribhadra
and Acarya Hemacandra, Upadhyaya Yasovijaya is the most high profile Jain monk. Dundas notes that Yasovijaya enjoys a near talismanic figure for the contemporary Svetambara monastic community and is identified with madhyastha or principle of neutrality. Dundas further notes that Yasovijaya paints a superior picture of Jainism with his inclusivism and it is this image of Jainism that has become a dominant one today. He had an influence on Srimad Rajcandra’s
book Atmasiddhi wherein, he has provided six fundamental truths on soul and liberation following Yasovijaya's Adhyatmasara. A college called Jain Yasovijaya Pathashala has been established in Varanasi in his memory, under auspices of which the sacred Jain texts are being published in a series called Jain Yasovijaya Granthamala. The Jain community of Ahmedabad
has honoured him by naming one block as Yasovijaya Chowk at the Relief Road end of Ratanpol where Yasovijaya lived for many years.
Jain philosophy
Jain philosophy deals extensively with the problems of metaphysics, reality, cosmology, ontology, epistemology and divinity. Jainism is essentially a transtheistic religion of ancient India. It is a continuation of the ancient tradition which co-existed with the Vedic tradition since ancient...
and logician. He was a thinker, prolific writer and commentator who had a strong and lasting influence on Jainism
Jainism
Jainism is an Indian religion that prescribes a path of non-violence towards all living beings. Its philosophy and practice emphasize the necessity of self-effort to move the soul towards divine consciousness and liberation. Any soul that has conquered its own inner enemies and achieved the state...
. He was a disciple of Muni Nayavijaya in the lineage of famous Jain monk Hiravijaya (belonging to the Tapa Gaccha tradition of Svetambara
Svetambara
The Śvētāmbara is one of the two main sects of Jainism, the other being the Digambar. Śvētāmbara "white-clad" is a term describing its ascetics' practice of wearing white clothes, which sets it apart from the Digambara "sky-clad" Jainas, whose ascetic practitioners go naked...
Jains) who influenced the Mughal Emperor
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
Akbar to give up eating meat.
Early life
Yasovijaya was born in a village called Kanoda in the MehsanaMehsana
Mahesana is a city and municipality in Mehsana district, in the Indian state of Gujarat.-City and surrounding area:Situated near Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar, Mehsana is one of the largest cities in North Gujarat; followed by Patan and Palanpur. A number of primary industries including dairy, oil...
district in Gujarat in 1624 CE. Some sources place his year of birth as 1608 CE. His childhood name was Jasha. He belonged to the endogamous group of Oswal
Oswal
The Oswal are a social group of people from the Indian States of Rajasthan and Punjab. Oswals are primarily adherents of Svetambara Jainism, but a few are Digambaras and some are Hindu adherents of Vaishnavism....
Jains. His lost his father when he was very young and consequently he was brought up by his mother. The inclination towards religious life was inculcated by his mother, who often used to take him to Jain upashrayas. Young Yasovijaya attracted attention of Jain monk Nayavijayaji who was impressed by his impressive memory feat of remembering the Bhaktamara Stotra
Bhaktamara Stotra
Bhaktamara Stotra is the most famous of the Jain sanskrit prayers. It was composed by Acharya Manatunga.The name Bhaktamara comes from a combination of two sanskrit names, "Bhakta" and "Amar"...
at a very young age.
Life as a monk
He was initiated as a young monk under the stewardship of Muni Nayavijaya. According to some sources, he came to VaranasiVaranasi
-Etymology:The name Varanasi has its origin possibly from the names of the two rivers Varuna and Assi, for the old city lies in the north shores of the Ganga bounded by its two tributaries, the Varuna and the Asi, with the Ganges being to its south...
in the company of his teacher Nayavijaya, both having disguised themselves as brahmins to get into the matha
Matha
A matha ) is a term for monastic and similar religious establishments of Hinduism and Jainism. A matha is usually more formal, hierarchical, and rule-based than an ashram.-Advaita Mathas:...
. By some accounts, he was sent by his guru to Varanasi to study logic
Indian logic
The development of Indian logic dates back to the anviksiki of Medhatithi Gautama the Sanskrit grammar rules of Pāṇini ; the Vaisheshika school's analysis of atomism ; the analysis of inference by Gotama , founder of the Nyaya school of Hindu philosophy; and the tetralemma of Nagarjuna...
and philosophy
Indian philosophy
India has a rich and diverse philosophical tradition dating back to ancient times. According to Radhakrishnan, the earlier Upanisads constitute "...the earliest philosophical compositions of the world."...
along with another disciple Vinayvijaya. Other sources indicate, he had gone to Varanasi on his own in 1626, disguised as a brahmin. By around 1638 he confessed that he was a Jain monk and was at once asked to leave the matha. But the sources are unanimous that for around 12 years he studied Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
, Prakrit
Prakrit
Prakrit is the name for a group of Middle Indic, Indo-Aryan languages, derived from Old Indic dialects. The word itself has a flexible definition, being defined sometimes as, "original, natural, artless, normal, ordinary, usual", or "vernacular", in contrast to the literary and religious...
, logic and Metaphysics. He became skilled in the field of Navya-Nyāya
Navya-Nyaya
The Navya-Nyāya or Neo-Logical darśana of Indian logic and Indian philosophy was founded in the 13th century CE by the philosopher Gangeśa Upādhyāya of Mithila. It was a development of the classical Nyāya darśana. Other influences on Navya-Nyāya were the work of earlier philosophers Vācaspati...
branch of logic and thus earned the titles Upajjhaya
Upajjhaya
An Upajjhāya is a teacher in the Indian religions of South Asia.An upajjhāya is specifically a professional teacher in the technical subjects of Vedanga, i.e. Sanskrit grammar and other basic skills required for the perusal of the Vedas...
(teacher), Nyayavisharada (one who is skilled in logic) and Nyayacarya (authority on logic).
According to Jonardon Ganeri, Yasovijaya’s intellectual biography can be seen as falling under three heads: an apprenticeship in Varanasi studying Navyanyaya, a period writing Jaina philosophical
Jain philosophy
Jain philosophy deals extensively with the problems of metaphysics, reality, cosmology, ontology, epistemology and divinity. Jainism is essentially a transtheistic religion of ancient India. It is a continuation of the ancient tradition which co-existed with the Vedic tradition since ancient...
treatises using the techniques and methods of Navyanyaya, and a time spent writing works with a markedly spiritual and religious orientation. One of the decisive events in the process leading to this transformation was Yasovijaya’s meeting with Anandaghana, a Jain spiritual poet.
He was a prolific writer and is said to have authored around 100 works in Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
and Gujarati
Gujarati language
Gujarati is an Indo-Aryan language, and part of the greater Indo-European language family. It is derived from a language called Old Gujarati which is the ancestor language of the modern Gujarati and Rajasthani languages...
. After a career as a monk, philosopher, author, poet and logician, for almost 80 years, he died at Dabhoi
Dabhoi
Dabhoi is a city and a municipality in Vadodara district in the state of Gujarat, India. It was originally known as Darbhavati.- History :...
, Gujarat in 1688 CE.
Philosophy
Paul DundasPaul Dundas
Paul Dundas is a scholar and a senior lecturer in Sanskrit language and head of Asian Studies in the University of Edinburgh. His main areas of academic and research interest include Jainism, Buddhism, classical Sanskrit literature and Middle Indo-Aryan philology...
calls Yasovijaya as the last truly great intellectual figure in Jainism
Jainism
Jainism is an Indian religion that prescribes a path of non-violence towards all living beings. Its philosophy and practice emphasize the necessity of self-effort to move the soul towards divine consciousness and liberation. Any soul that has conquered its own inner enemies and achieved the state...
, who rose to fame on account of his learning and mastery of sophisticated logical techniques as well for his interest of mysticism in later life. Yasovijaya often refers to the 8th Century Jain scholar-monk Acarya Haribhadra
Haribhadra
Haribhadra Suri was a Svetambara mendicant Jain leader and author.-History:There are multiple contradictory dates assigned to his birth. These include 459, 478, and 529. However, given his familiarity with Dharmakirti, a more likely choice would be sometime after 650...
in his works, indicating that he saw himself as Haribhadra's successor. Haribhadra's reputation for being influenced only by the logical cogency of the doctrines and viewpoints (anekantavada
Anekantavada
' is one of the most important and fundamental doctrines of Jainism. It refers to the principles of pluralism and multiplicity of viewpoints, the notion that truth and reality are perceived differently from diverse points of view, and that no single point of view is the complete truth.Jains...
) ultimately shaped Yasovijayas irenic but sometimes critical attitude towards other sects and traditions. Yasovijaya had not only studied all the great Svetambara authors from the oldest to the latest, he was also well read in important Digambara
Digambara
Digambara "sky-clad" is one of the two main sects of Jainism. "Sky-clad" has many different meaning and associations throughout Indian religions. Many representations of deities within these traditions are depicted as sky-clad, e.g. Samantabhadra/Samantabhadrī in Yab-Yum...
works. He wrote several important Navyanyaya works on Digambara Nyaya texts such as the Aptamimamsa of Acarya Samantabhadra. The Jain tradition is remarkably ecumenical when it comes to Nyaya and Acaryas of both the Digambara and the Shvetambara traditions have composed texts in the genre of Nyaya and the texts are read by monks and scholars of both traditions. Furthermore, Yasovijaya he was well versed in philosophy of diverse schools such as Vedantic, Sankhya, Yoga
Yoga
Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline, originating in ancient India. The goal of yoga, or of the person practicing yoga, is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility while meditating on Supersoul...
, Mimāṃsā
Mimamsa
' , a Sanskrit word meaning "investigation" , is the name of an astika school of Hindu philosophy whose primary enquiry is into the nature of dharma based on close hermeneutics of the Vedas...
and Buddhist.
Secular intellect and tolerance
In his famous work, Adhyatmopanisatprakarana he argued that no body of ‘theory’ (sastra), whether Jain or non-Jain, is to be accepted merely on the basis of sectarian interest. Instead, the theory should be subject to testing, just as the purity of a sample of gold is determined by tests involving rubbing, cutting and heating (1.17) In one of the ethical works, the Jnanasara, Yasovijaya describes 32 moral and intellectual virtues that constitute a virtuous character. Out of these, two are distinctive: neutrality (madhyasthata) and groundedness in all view-points (sarvanayasraya). Neutrality is explained in terms of the dispassionate use of reason: a person who embodies this virtue follows wherever reason leads, rather than using reason only to defend prior opinions (16.2). Yasovijaya stresses that neutrality is not an end in itself, but a means to another end. We adopt a neutral attitude, he says, in the hope it leads to well-being (hita), just as someone who knows that one among a group of herbs is restorative but does not know which one it is, acts reasonably if they swallow the entire lot (16.8).Conception of self
Yasovijaya authored two famous texts — Adhyatmasara and Adhyatmopanisatprakarana— that analyses the true nature of self. Yasovijaya describes the state of true self-awareness as a state beyond deep sleep, beyond conceptualisation, and beyond linguistic representation, and he says that it is the duty of any good sastra to point out the existence and possibility of such states of true self-awareness, for they cannot be discovered by reason or experience alone. Yasovijaya argues that from the standpoint of niscaya naya (real standpoint) the soul is called jiva if it leads an embodied life. This is different than KundakundaKundakunda
Kundakunda is a celebrated Jain Acharya, Jain scholar monk, 2nd century CE, composer of spiritual classics such as: Samayasara, Niyamasara, Pancastikayasara, Pravacanasara, Atthapahuda and Barasanuvekkha. He occupies the highest place in the tradition of the Jain acharyas.He belonged to the Mula...
’s view of niscaya naya, that only a soul that possesses the most essential property of the soul—cognitive capacity—is jiva. This means that according to Kundakunda only a released soul is jiva from the standpoint of niscaya naya. While both position have valid logic, Yasovijaya criticised this view as it had no support from any prior authors.
Intellectual critic and criticisms
Yasovijaya stressed that neutrality does not mean acceptance of every position whatever, but acceptance only of those that satisfy at least the minimal criteria of clarity and coherence needed to legitimately constitute a point of view. Hence he criticised the CarvakaCarvaka
' , also known as ', is a system of Indian philosophy that assumes various forms of philosophical skepticism and religious indifference. It seems named after , the probable author of the and probably a follower of Brihaspati, who founded the ' philosophy.In overviews of Indian philosophy, Cārvāka...
philosophy as being too confused in their understanding of the topic of liberation even to be said to have a ‘view’. He also confronted the brahmin scholar Raghunatha Siromani
Raghunatha Siromani
Raghunatha Shiromani was an Indian philosopher and logician. He was born at Navadvipa in present day Nadia district of West Bengal state. He was the grandson of , a noted writer on from his mother's side. He was a pupil of...
, one of the greatest exponent of modern logic during his time, thus proving his extraordinary talent. Paul Dundas notes that, Yasovijaya also criticized the famous Digambara
Digambara
Digambara "sky-clad" is one of the two main sects of Jainism. "Sky-clad" has many different meaning and associations throughout Indian religions. Many representations of deities within these traditions are depicted as sky-clad, e.g. Samantabhadra/Samantabhadrī in Yab-Yum...
Jain monk Kundakunda
Kundakunda
Kundakunda is a celebrated Jain Acharya, Jain scholar monk, 2nd century CE, composer of spiritual classics such as: Samayasara, Niyamasara, Pancastikayasara, Pravacanasara, Atthapahuda and Barasanuvekkha. He occupies the highest place in the tradition of the Jain acharyas.He belonged to the Mula...
for his more reliance on one standpoint. He also strongly attacked the laity based Adhyatmika sect whose de-emphasis on the role of rituals and ascetics was derived from works of Kundakunda
Kundakunda
Kundakunda is a celebrated Jain Acharya, Jain scholar monk, 2nd century CE, composer of spiritual classics such as: Samayasara, Niyamasara, Pancastikayasara, Pravacanasara, Atthapahuda and Barasanuvekkha. He occupies the highest place in the tradition of the Jain acharyas.He belonged to the Mula...
and his commentators. At the same time, Yasovijaya also opposed the views of Svetambara
Svetambara
The Śvētāmbara is one of the two main sects of Jainism, the other being the Digambar. Śvētāmbara "white-clad" is a term describing its ascetics' practice of wearing white clothes, which sets it apart from the Digambara "sky-clad" Jainas, whose ascetic practitioners go naked...
monk Dharmasagara for his supremacist perspective of Jainism and exclusivist refusal to accept validity of any religious path except that of Tapa Gachchha
Tapa Gachchha
Tapa Gachchha is the largest monstic order of Svetambara Jainism.It was founded by Acharya Jagat Chandra Suri in Vikram Samvat 1285 . He was given the title of "Tapa" by the ruler of Mewar....
(a sub-sect of Svetambara Jains).
Despite his eminence and influence, one criticism leveled against Yasovijaya is that he is best known for his Navya-Nyaya commentaries of earlier existing works rather than his own original works. Furthermore, his works on Yoga, dhyana, grammar and poetry did not gain much fame, as the works of Haribhadra and Hemacandra on these topics were already established and famous by the time Yasovijaya came on the scene. His fame largely rests on his mastery of navyanyaya, for which he had no contemporary rival. This could be because, for almost six centuries between Hemacandra and Yasovijaya, Jainism did not produce any able scholar on philosophy of nyaya.
Influence and legacy
Yasovijaya left behind a vast body of literature that exerted a vast influence on the Jain philosophyJain philosophy
Jain philosophy deals extensively with the problems of metaphysics, reality, cosmology, ontology, epistemology and divinity. Jainism is essentially a transtheistic religion of ancient India. It is a continuation of the ancient tradition which co-existed with the Vedic tradition since ancient...
. After Acarya Haribhadra
Haribhadra
Haribhadra Suri was a Svetambara mendicant Jain leader and author.-History:There are multiple contradictory dates assigned to his birth. These include 459, 478, and 529. However, given his familiarity with Dharmakirti, a more likely choice would be sometime after 650...
and Acarya Hemacandra, Upadhyaya Yasovijaya is the most high profile Jain monk. Dundas notes that Yasovijaya enjoys a near talismanic figure for the contemporary Svetambara monastic community and is identified with madhyastha or principle of neutrality. Dundas further notes that Yasovijaya paints a superior picture of Jainism with his inclusivism and it is this image of Jainism that has become a dominant one today. He had an influence on Srimad Rajcandra’s
Shrimad Rajchandra
-Life:Raychandbhai Ravajibhai Mehta, popularly known as Shrimad Rajchandra by his followers, was a prominent Jain philosopher. He is highly respected for His remarkable exposition of Bhagwan Mahavira’s teachings, great spiritual state, extraordinary personality and literary genius...
book Atmasiddhi wherein, he has provided six fundamental truths on soul and liberation following Yasovijaya's Adhyatmasara. A college called Jain Yasovijaya Pathashala has been established in Varanasi in his memory, under auspices of which the sacred Jain texts are being published in a series called Jain Yasovijaya Granthamala. The Jain community of Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad also known as Karnavati is the largest city in Gujarat, India. It is the former capital of Gujarat and is also the judicial capital of Gujarat as the Gujarat High Court has its seat in Ahmedabad...
has honoured him by naming one block as Yasovijaya Chowk at the Relief Road end of Ratanpol where Yasovijaya lived for many years.
Works
Some of the texts authored by Yasovijaya are:- Ashtasahasri Tatparyavivarana Tika. Includes original text "Aptamimamsa" by Acarya Samantabhadra; 800 karika commentary on it by Acarya Akalanka called "Ashtashati", 8000 karika commentary on it by Acarya Vidyanandi called "Asthasahasri" and 16000 karika commentary on it by Upadhyaya Yashovijaya, called "Ashtasahasri Taparyavivarana Tika".Edited by Muni Prashamarativijaya. Pune: 2001.
- Adhyatmasara. Edited by Ramanalal C. Shah. Sayala: Sri Raja Sobhaga Satanga Mandala, 1996.
- Adhyatmopanisatprakarana. Edited by Sukhlal SanghviSukhlal SanghviSukhlal Sanghvi also known as Pandit Sukhlalji was a Jain Scholar and Philosopher. He belonged to the Sthanakvasi sect of Jainism. Pandit Sukhlal lost his eyesight at the age of sixteen on account of small-pox. However, he overcame this handicap and became profoundly versed in Jain logic and rose...
. Ahmedabad: Sri Bahadur Singh Jaina Series, 1938. - Dharmapariksa. Mumbai: Shri Andheri Gujarati Jain Sangha, 1986.
- Jaina Nyayakhandakhadya. Edited by Badarinath Shukla. Varanasi: Chowkhamba Sanskrit Series Office, No. 170, 1966.
- Jaina Tarkabhasa. Edited by Sukhlalji Sanghvi, Mahendra Kumar & Dalsukh Malvania. Ahmedabad: Sri Bahadur Singh Jaina Series, 1938/1942/1997.
- Jnanasara. Edited & Translated by Dayanand Bhargava. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidas, 1973.