Kundakunda Acharya and Jain Philosophy

Author(s): Jayantilal Jain
Publisher: Research Foundation for Jainology Chennai

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V PHILOSOPHY
How to become Bhagwan ? The prime objective of the Philosophy propounded by Kundakunda Acharya is to make oneself "Bhagwan", the Purest Self. Keeping this view point, he attempted to demolish all prevailing misconceptions that do not ensure realisation of pure self and endeavoured to establish and espouse concepts which guarantee achievement of the purest self, i.e., becoming Bhagwan or attaining Moksha.
All his five major works indicate the process by which a person can achieve the pure self. In 80th, 81st and 82nd couplets of Pravachanasara, he makes abundantly clear that his concern is to postulate the true and only process of becoming Arihant. The only way to become Arihant is to know Arihant from the view point of the matter, its properties (qualities) and the form. Acharya has stated three-fold process for this task in these couplets -
1. The state of Arihant must be understood in all the three different ways - the matter,
properties and form (paryaya) 2. The first step helps in understanding our own self and the present form in which the
self exists and differences between Arihant and one's own self 3. As a result of the above two steps, one develops the right faith and right knowledge
which removes misconceptions about the self and things that exist around the self. Adomed with right faith and knowledge, a person will soon embark on right conduct which facilitates annihilation of karma and thus ultimately becoming Arihant and Siddha.
The five great works of Kundakunda Acharya, indeed, describe the five-fold process of achieving Moksha: 1. His work on Panchastikaya sets the background for becoming Bhagwan. That is,
first of all, one must develop an understanding of six matters, their differentiation, their properties and forms and understand the path of Moksha as enshrined in their nine-fold classification.
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