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PART II GANADHARS AND ÄCHÄRYAS
10- Ächärya Kunda-kunda
mangalam bhagavana viro, mangalam gautamo gani | mangalam kundakundäryo, jaina dharmostu mangalam ||
Bhagawan Mahavir is auspicious; Ganadhar Gautam Swami is auspicious; Ächärya Kunda-kunda is auspicious; Jain religion is auspicious.
Ächärya Kunda-kunda is one of the most famous Jain Ächäryas.
As a descendant of Bhadrabähu-swämi, he was born around the beginning of the first century A.D. in a place named Konda-konda in southern India. Kunda-kunda belonged to an ancient order called the Nandi Sangh, wherein most monks assumed names ending in "Nandi". His official name after becoming a Jain monk was Padma-nandi, but he is better known by the place of his origin. Punya-Shrävak Kathä Kosha mentions that in his previous life, Kundakunda was a cowherd who had found and preserved ancient texts and had been blessed by a wandering monk. Ächärya Kunda-kunda's intense learning and moral character attracted royal disciples such as King Shiva kumär.
Ächärya Kunda-kunda
The story of Kunda-kunda is also surrounded by legends - it is said that he could walk on air. But his influence extends far beyond Jainism. In ancient India, philosophical debates were a standard feature of intellectual life. To these, Kunda-kunda brought concise and systematized aphorisms, greatly adding to Jain literature. He used existing literary structures to explain Jainism's most advanced scientific principles such as atomic structure, cosmic dimensions, the cosmic ethers, and psychology. Hindu and Buddhist thinkers were challenged to respond to his explications of Jain philosophy and conduct. Thus, Kunda-kunda elevated the level of scholarship and debate in India's overall philosophical discourse.
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JAIN STORY BOOK
