Raghunatha Siromani (1477 AD to 1547 AD) was a luminary in
the field of Nyaya Philosophy. He was born in a poor Brahmin family of Nadia
(West Bengal). He lost his father when he was an infant. As per information
available, he was the student of Vasudeva Sarvabhauma, who is regarded as the first
of what is called the “Nudden School”.
At every stage of learning, Raghunatha proved himself to be
an extraordinary student and very soon surpassed his teacher in many respects.
Raghunatha Shiromani’s method of study was unique. After
copying the text to be discussed, he used to find out the logical inconsistency
of the text and present systematically his views on the subject covered by the
text.
Raghunatha although by conviction a Naiyayika, was extremely
critical about certain Nyaya Vaisheshika theories. For instance, he was
critical of the concept of samanya lakshana, a method adopted in the Navya
Nyaya School for proving the vyapti (invariable unconditional concomitance), on
which anumana (inference) is based. Further, his work Padartha Tattva Nirupana,
he not only criticized some of the traditional Nyaya Vaisesika categories but
also added certain new categories, such as Shakti (power), Samkhya (number)
etc.
Literary Works of Raghunatha Siromani
- Among his works, Tattvacintamani Didhiti, a critical commentary on Tattvacintamani of Gangesha Upadhyaya, is extensively commented upon. His commentary on Book II often disagrees with Gangesha. In this work, he calls himself Tarkikasiromani (the crest gem of logicians) and afterwards he was well known as Raghunatha Siromani.
- His other works include
- Akhyatavada
- Nan Vada
- Padartha Tattva Nirupana
- Atmatattva Viveka Didhiti
- Kiranavali Prakasha Didhiti
- Khandana Khanda Khadya Didhiti
- Nyaya Lilavati Prakasha Didhiti
Raghunatha, though primarily a logician, wrote not only on
logic but also showed a great interest in metaphysics as seen from the titles
of his works.
Bibliography
A History of Indian Logic (1971) - Satischandra Vidyabhusan –
Motilal Banarsidass New Delhi
Indian Philosophy (1927) S Radhakrishnan – George Allen and
Unwin Ltd, London
Encyclopedia of Hinduism Volume VIII page 382 - 83