In short
Acharya Samantabhadra was an early Digambar philosopher-poet who gave Anekantavada — the Jain doctrine of many-sidedness — one of its first systematic logical defences. Traditionally credited with spreading Jainism through the Chola lands and instituting an early formal test of claimed omniscience.
At a glance
- Rank
- Acharya
- Tradition
- Digambar
- Era
- 2nd century CE (disputed; some scholars place him as late as the 6th–7th century)
- Key works
-
- Aptamimamsa (Devagamastotra)
- Ratnakaranda Shravakachara
- Svayambhustotra
- Jinashatakam
Contribution
Samantabhadra was among the first to give Anekantavada a systematic defence against rival philosophical schools. As a wandering poet-logician from the South, he is credited with spreading Jainism through the Chola lands and with instituting one of the earliest formal tests of omniscience (sarvajna) in Jain thought.
Life
Little is fixed about his life beyond tradition. He is said to have suffered from bhasmaka, an insatiable-hunger ailment that made Digambar monastic fasting acutely painful; when he sought his preceptor's permission to undertake sallekhana rather than continue suffering, it was refused, and he was told to seek treatment instead.
Legacy
His arguments shaped how Siddhasena, Akalanka and later logicians framed Anekantavada. The Ratnakaranda Shravakachara remains a widely read lay-conduct text among Digambars today.
His dates are among the most debated in this list — proposals range from the 2nd to the 7th century CE.