________________
Verse 53
two Ācāryas, Ācārya Pushpadant and Ācārya Bhutabali, to put these profound tenets in the written form. The two Ācāryas wrote, on palm leaves, șațkhaņdāgama – among the oldest known Digambara Jaina texts. Around the same time, Ācārya Gunadhar wrote Kaşāyapāhuda.
Since then an enormous amount of magnificent Jaina literature has been created by the most learned Acāryas. Only a part of this ocean of literature on various aspects of Jaina faith and philosophy may be available today in readable form. We articulate, with utmost reverence, the names of many distinguished Jaina Acāryas, and read their works with great devotion. Prominent Jaina Acāryas whose works have exerted the greatest influence on the thinkers as well as the practitioners, ascetics and laymen, include: Ācārya Kundkund: Samayasāra, Pañcāstikāya,
Niyamasāra, Pravacanasāra, Atthapāhuda; Ācārya Umasvami: Tattvārthasūtra; Ācārya Samantabhadra: Ratnakarandaśrāvakācāra;
Apta-Mimāmsā, Svayambhū-stotra; Acarya Pujyapada: Saruarthasiddhi, Samādhitantra,
Istopadeśa, Jainendra Vyākaraņa; Ācārya Amritchandra (Shri Amritchandra Sūri):
Puruşārthasiddhyupāya, Samayasāra Kalasa; Ācārya Nemichandra Siddhānta Cakravarti:
Dravyasamgraha, Gomațțasāra (Jivakāņda and Karmakāņda), Trilokasāra, Labdhisāra.
Adapted (with minor alterations) from: Jain, Vijay K., Shri Amritchandra Suri's Puruşārthasiddhyupāya,
Introduction, p. x-xi.
195
