Jayanta Bhatta

Career The Agamadambara provides details about Bhatta's political career. He was an adviser to Kashmiri king Sankaravarman. In his position, he played a role in banishing the Nilambara (Black-Blankets) sect from Kashmir. Commenting on Tantric literature, he argued that the Nilambara sect promoted "immoral teachings". Jayanta claimed the Nilambara "wear simply one blue garment, and then as a group engages in unconstrained public sex". He argued that this practice was "unnecessary" and threatened the fundamental values of society.

Works

Philosophical works Jayanta wrote three known treatises on Nyaya philosophy, of which two survive. His first, the Nyayamanjari (A Cluster of Flowers of the Nyaya tree) is a commentary on Nyaya-aphorisms that serves as a critique of the theories of rival philosophical systems like the Mīmānsādarśana.

His second, the Nyayakalika (A Bud of the Nyaya tree) is an overview of the basic tenets of the Nyāya Sūtras, a foundational text of the Nyaya school. His third work, Pallava (probably Nyayapallava, A Twig of the Nyaya tree) though quoted in Syadvadaratnakara, has not survived. This treatise is unique because it is an independent work, not a commentary of an earlier work.

Secondly, according to Jayanta, the purpose of Nyaya is to protect the authority of the Vedas, Hinduism's oldest scriptures, whereas earlier Nyaya scholars considered Nyaya to be an Anvikshiki (scientific study) providing true knowledge about the real nature of the objects of cognition.

Nyayamanjari Jayanta, in his Nyayamanjari, identifies ignorance (moha), attachment (raga), and antipathy (dvesha) as three distinct defects (dosas) that drive human actions:

moha: further includes dosas such as pramada (carelessness), mada (sense of false superiority) raga: further includes dosas such as kama, trsna (desire) dvesha: further includes dosas such as droha (harming others), irsya (jealousy) Jayanta considers moha as the worst defect arguing that it gives rise to raga and dvesha. He further argues that all defects stem from false knowledge and are resolved by right knowledge, however, each defect is psychologically distinct.

Criticism of Lokayats Jayanta Bhatta criticized the Lokayata school of philosophy for not developing a Lokayata culture. He said, "The Lokayata is not an Agama. viz. not a guide to cultural living, not a system of do's and don’ts; hence it is nothing but irresponsible wrangling."

English translations

The Clay Sanskrit Library published a translation of by Csaba Dezső under the title of Much Ado about Religion.