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Preface
Jayadhavală commentary on the Kaşāyapāhuda, but he passed away when he had composed just 20 thousand granthagras. It was left consequently to his great disciple Jinasena to finish this commentary which he did in 837 A.D. by adding some 40 thousand granthagras more. Jinasena began composing the Mahāpurāņa which gives in a stylistic manner the account of 63 Salākā-puruşa*. It is not only a systematic exposition of Jaina traditional lore and principles but also an exquisite specimen of Sanskrit Kävya, rich in exuberant descriptions and full of poetic embellishments, both of sense and sound. After composing some 12 thousand ślokas of the Mahāpurāņa, Jinasena perhaps passed away; and the work was completed by Gunabhadra by composing about 8 thousand slokas more. The Adipurāņa, of which the major portion was composed by Jinasena, contains the biography of the first Tīrthańkara and the first Cakravartī; and the Uttara-purāņa of Guņabhadra deals with the lives of remaining Tirthankaras and other Salākā-purusa. Gunabhadra completed the Mahāpurāna some time before 897 A.D. This was the year when Lokasena consecrated it, and perhaps Gunabhadra was no more by that time. The Atmānuśāsana, it appears, was completed after the demise of Jinasena; so it may be assigned to a period soon after 837 A.D., say roughly to the middle of the 9th century A.D.
Two additional well-reseached excerpts are given below for ascertaining the time of Ācārya Gunabhadra:
गुणभद्राचार्य की आयु यदि गुरु जिनसेन के स्वर्गवास के समय 25 वर्ष की मान ली जाये तो वे शकसंवत् 740 के लगभग उत्पन्न हुए होंगे, ऐसा अनुमान किया जा सकता है परन्तु उत्तरपुराण कब समाप्त हुआ तथा गुणभद्राचार्य कब तक धराधाम पर जीवित रहे यह निर्णय करना कठिन कार्य है।
yallahi - GŤ. Ymisie J HIECTER (2015),
आचार्य जिनसेन विरचित आदिपुराण, पृ. 21
* Sixty-three Salākā-puruşa comprise 24 Tirthańkara, 12 cakravarti,
9 balabhadra, 9 nārāyaṇa and 9 pratinārāyaṇa.
(XIX)
