Pravachanasara

SR No.: 003289
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: A N Upadhye
Publisher: Shrimad Rajchandra Ashram
Publication Year: 1964
Total Pages: 612
Language: Hindi, Sanskrit
Classification: Book_Devnagari
File Size: 16 MB

Page 40

Introduction
eleven years was religiously awakened and soon became the pupil of that monk, Jinacandra, and lived with him. The parents were very sorry over this. Within a short time Kundakunda attained so much eminence amongst the pupils of Jinacandra that he became Acārya at the age of 33. He advanced a good deal in those introspective and religious meditations. Once he had certain doubts on some fundamental doctrines of Jainism; not knowing what to do, he closely applied himself to religious practices. One day in the course of his meditation, he offered obeisance, with mental, verbal and physical purity, to Śrimandharasvāmi, a contemporary Tīrthankara in the Videha-kşetra; the salutation was so sincere that it immediately evoked response from Srimandhara that he uttered in the Samavasaraņa the words of blessing sad-dharma-vrddhir-astu. The members of the audience could not understand the propriety of this blessing when none from the audience had offered salutation. Srimandharasvāmi explained that the blessings were meant for Kundakunda from Bharatakşetra. Two cāraņa saints, who were the friends of Kundakunda in the previous birth, came to Bārāpura and took Kundakunda to the Samavasaraņa. On the way, when they were passing through the sky, the bunch of peacock-feathers fell down and could not be found; so Kundakunda had to take up a bunch of vulture-feathers in lieu and continue his religious practices. Kundakunda stayed there for a week; and, after receiving much by way of religious enlightenment, he had his religious doubts cleared. On his way back he had taken with him a book containing diplomatic and Tāntric contents, but it fell on the way into the salt sea. Thus he came back saluting many holy places on the way. He began his religious preachings here; and seven hundred men and women got themselves initiated into the order at his hands. After some time he had a dispute with Svetāmbaras on the mount Girnar, in which he made the local deity Brāhmi admit that the Nirgrantha creed of the Digambaras was true. Lastly, he vacated his pontifical chair in favour of Umāsvāti and died one day in religious meditation after having practised severe penances.
SCRUTINY OF THE ABOVE TWO TRADITIONAL STORIES.-Both these stories are practically in agreement only in the second half; but with the domicile and parentage there is no agreement, nay the points of difference [p. 8:] cannot be reconciled. The names of the parents in the second story, along with those of the king and his queen, are mechanically artificial as in the bed-side stories told by the old lady to lull the child. Some of the incidents, which are found in these traditional stories, require critical scrutiny rather to shed light on the genesis of these traditions than to prove or to disprove the truth contained therein.
The earliest reference to the tradition that Kundakunda visited the Videha country is found in Darsanasära of Devasena,1 compilled 990 years after the death of Vikrama, who says that the great saint Padmanandi was enlightened by the supernatural knowledge of śrīmandhara-svāmi. Further, Jayasena, in the opening remarks of his commentary on Pañcāstikāya, says on the authority of the popular
See Darsanasära, verse 43; Jaina Hitaishi, XIII, pp. 25 etc. wherein Darsanasära with Hindi translation and notes is published; a critical Text of Darsanasära, based on the MSS. from the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, Poona, is awaiting publication with the present writer.