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Atmānusāsana
आत्मानुशासन
Assuming that Ācārya Guņabhadra would have been twenty-five when Acārya Jinasena passed away, it can be conjectured that he (Acārya Gunabhadra) must have been born around saka-samvat* 740. However, it is diffcult to determine the year when the Uttarapurāņa got completed and, therfore, the year till Ācārya Guņabhadra existed on this earth.
इस प्रकार गुणभद्राचार्य का समय श. सं. के अनुसार 8 वीं शताब्दी का उत्तरार्ध निश्चित होता है।
CH - aicies fH GIAT (1980), आचार्य गुणभद्र विरचित आत्मानुशासनम्, पृ. 19
This establishes the latter-half of the eighth-century, Saka-samvat, as the time of Ācārya Gunabhadra.
I make obeisance humble at the Most Worshipful feet of Ācārya Virasena, Ācārya Jinasena and Ācārya Gunabhadra.
Ācārya Gunabhadra's Ātmānusāsana
Acārya Gunabhadra, with wide learning and outstanding austerities, had this unique gift of converting difficult and profound spiritual concepts into fine poetic expressions. His compositions are not only music to the ears but, more importantly, present profound concepts of the Jaina Doctrine in a form that is easily understood by the savvy readers. Atmānusāsana is truly remarkable for its poetry and meaning.
* Two calendars have traditionally been used in the Indian system: the
Saka-samvat calendar and the Vikrama-samvat calendar. The Saka-samvat calendar is approximately 78 years behind (in count) of the solar Gregorian calendar. Thus, year 1922 Śaka-samvat corresponds to 2000 CE. (Year 2019 CE corresponds to Saka-samvat 1941). The Vikrama-samvat calendar is approximately 57 years ahead (in count) of the solar Gregorian calendar. Thus, year 2057 Vikrama-samvat corresponds to 2000 CE. (Year 2019 CE corresponds to Vikrama-samvat 2076).
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