Somadeva Suri
Introduction '''Somadeva Suri''' was a south Indian Jain monk of the 10th century CE (fl. 959–66, possibly born in Bengal region about 920), author of a work known as "Upasakadyayana" "chapter on lay followers (''upasakas'')", a central work of Digambara ''shravakacara'' literature, i.e. instructions and prescriptions for ''shravakas'' or Jain lay followers.
Lineage Somadeva was a disciple of Acharya Nemideva of Devasangha section of Mula Sangh (associated with Akalankadeva). Somadeva composed Yashstilaka in the domain of Vagaraj, a feudatory of Rashtrakuta Krishna III. He is mentioned in copperplate and an inscription of the Chalukya clan.Vadiraja, author of Yashodhara-charita, and Pushpasena, (the teacher of Vadibhasimha, author of Gadyachintamani, were both disciples of Somadeva Suri.
Residence Somadeva Suri was a member of the Gauda Sangha. Before 957, he was at the court of the Pratihara king Mahendrapala II, at Kanyakubja (modern Kannauj). There, he wrote ''Niti-vakya-amrita'', and possibly ''Trivarga-Mahedra-Matali-jalpa''.Later, he migrated the Vemulavada Chalukya kingdom. There, he composed ''Yashodhara-charita'' (or ''Yashas-tilaka-champu'', c. 959) during the reign of Baddega II, at Gangadhara town.
Works "Upasakadyayana" is a section of the champu text ''Yashastilaka''. Girish Karnad's play ''Bali'' is based on ''Yashastilaka''.Somadeva Suri also wrote the ''Nitivakyamrtam'' "Nectar of the Science of Polity"  (ed. Sundaralala Sastri 1976, Menta 1987), a treatise on statecraft. The text of the ''Nitivakyamrtam'' mentions that Somadeva was also the author of a literary work called ''Yashastilaka'' (see Kavyamala, 70).He is sometimes regarded as a "revolutionary thinker of early medieval India", in his  works he discusses the  vices (pratyuhasamuha) which brought to the country the conquest of the Muslims (Tajikas). It is notable that he describes the use of hydraulics for irrigating a garden.
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