Siddhasenadivākarasuri

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Siddhasenadivākarasuri was a Śvetāmbara Jain monk who lived in the 4th–5th century CE during the Gupta period. Born Kumudchandra, he came from a Brahmin family and was a scholar. After losing a debate to Acharya Vruddhavadisuri, he was initiated into Jainism and eventually became an acharya himself, gaining the name Siddhasenadivākarasuri.

Life story in Ujjain
- As a punishment, his master sent him to visit Jain temples for twelve years.
- In Ujjain, he slept at a Linga temple with his feet toward the Linga, a symbol of Shiva.
- King Vikramaditya had him beaten. Siddhasena used miraculous powers to make the king’s wife take the beating instead.
- Impressed, the king asked him to stop sleeping before the Linga and to begin worshipping it.
- Siddhasena then praised the Linga in his Kalyan Mandir Stotra. When he reached verse 11, the sky rumbled, bells rang, and the idol of Avanti Parshwanath emerged from the Linga.
- This idol is revered by Śvetāmbara Jains and is one of the 108 sacred Parshwanath images worshipped by the Śvetāmbara Murtipujak sect. Tradition says the idol was created or blessed by Mahakala.

What he taught and wrote
- Sanmatitarka (The Logic of the True Doctrine) is his best-known work and is considered the first major Jain treatise on logic in Sanskrit.
- He also wrote works like Nyāyāvatāra, Kalyan Mandir Stotra, and Vardhman Shakrastav.
- Siddhasena’s main philosophical contribution is in the area of Anekantavada, the idea that reality has many aspects and truths.
- He classified Jain viewpoints (nayās) into two broad groups: those that affirm substances (dravyāstikā nayas) and those that affirm changing aspects (paryāyāstikā nayas). He argued that the number of possible nayas can be limitless and that each view is only a partial one. He also linked these nayas to other Indian philosophical schools to show how all views are limited.

Later life
- He is said to have spent the rest of his life near Bharuch in Gujarat.
- The Avanti Parshwanath idol is linked to his story and remains an important icon for Śvetāmbara Jains.

Legacy
- Siddhasena is regarded as one of the most revered Śvetāmbara teachers. His work on logic and his analysis of multiple viewpoints greatly influenced Jain philosophy.