ISJS Jainism Study Notes E5 Vol 01

Author(s): International School for Jain Studies
Publisher: International School for Jain Studies

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approach with a relative evaluation of the previous scholars' views and epigraphically records in right perspective.
I need not refer to and evaluate all the views established by the scholars like Pt. Nathuram Premi, Dr. Pathak, Muni Kalyanavijiy, Pt. Jugal Kishor Mukhtar, Professor Chakravarty, Dr. A.N. Upadhye, and Pt. Kailash Chandra Shastri. Dr. A.N.Upadhye evaluated all then exiting important views and established the date of Kundakunda at the beginning of the Christian era with two limits in the introduction to the Pravacanasāra (P. xii) as follows: In the light of this long discussion on the age Kundakunda wherein we have merely tried to weigh the probabilities after approaching the problem from various angles and thoroughly thrashing the available traditions, we find that the tradition puts his age in the second half of the first century B.C. and the first half of the first century A.D.; the possibility of Satkhandāgama being completed before Kundakunda would put him later than the middle of the second century A.D.; and the Merkara copper-plates would show that the later limit of his age would be the middle of the third century A.D. Further the possibilities, in the light of the limitations discussed, that Kundakunda might have been a contemporary of king Shivakandha of the Pallava dynasty and that he, if proved to be the same as Elācārya on more definite grounds, might be the author of Kural, would imply that the age of Kundakunda should be limit, in the light of the circumstantial evidences noted above, to the first two centuries of the Christian era. I am inclined to believe, after this long survey of the available material, that Kundakunda's age lies at the beginning of the Christian era. After the demise of Dr. Upadhye, the date of Kundakunda was not much discussed. Sometimes back Dr. M.A. Dhaky and Dr. Sagarmal Jain have reviewed the date fixed by Dr. Upadhye and expressed their views on the problem that Kundakunda may be even placed in about eight c. A.D. Most of their arguments are based on the negative and inferential evidence. Prof. Dhaky published his article in the Aspects of Jainology, Vol. 3, pp. 187-206, Varanasi, 1991 with the caption "The Date of Kundakundācārya" and Dr. Sagarmal Jain got his article published in Aspects of Jainology (Pt. Dalsukhbhai Malvania Felicitation Volume)Vol. III.
2.0 The Works of Kundakunda
e following main works are attributed to Kundakunda:- 1) Satkhandāgama -Tīkā on three sections known as Parikarma which is not available today, 2) Mülācāra, 3) ten Bhattis (Bhaktis):- Titthayarabhatti, Siddhabhatti, Sudabhatti, Cărittabhatti, Anagārabhatti, Āyariyabhatti, Nivvāṇabhatti, Pamcaparametthibhatti, Yogibhatti, 4) Aştapāhuda- Daṁsanapāhuda, Caritta pāhuda, Sutta-pāhuda, Bodha-pāhuda, Bhāva-pāhuda, Mokkha-pāhuda,
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