________________
PRAVACANSAARA : An ancient Jain canonical Prakrit text of Philosophy
Dr. Anekant Kumar Jain*
1. Introduction :
Pravacansaara (Pavyansaro) is an ancient and important philosophical text of Jain's which is composed in old classical Indian language named 'Prakrit'. Originally it is in 'Shaursehi prakrit' (an important part of the Prakrit language). This work is composed by the famous Jaināchārya Kundakunda in 1st century A.D. The pravacansaar, as it is specified by its brief title, is one of the important works of kundakundācārya who occupies unique position, next only to lord Mahāvīra and his Gañadhara Gautam, in the Jaina tradition. In the pravacansar he gives an account of knowledge, the object of knowledge and Jain ascetic emblem. The text serves as a handy introduction to the Philosophy of the Jainism. 2. The Author of the book :
Śrīkundakundācārya, the author of this work, was a very famous Jaina philosopher and theologian. He was also a great.organizer of religious institutions. His name is held in great veneration especially by the Digambara section of the Jain. Many great religious teaches claimed it an honour to trace their lineage from the great teacher kundakunda. Several inscriptions that are found in south India Kundakundānvaya-of the following: Sri -- Kundakunda -- gurupatta --paramparāyām; Sri Kundakunda -- santānamj Sri -- Kundakundākhyamunīdra -- vamśa. The personality of this great teacher, as is generally the case with world famous individuals, is lost
Professor-Deptt. of Jain Philosophy, Sri Lalbahadur Shastri Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeeth, New Delhi.
