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10
Pravacanasara
sangha,1 a designation claimed by the Digambaras in view of the division of the Jaina church into Digambaras and Svetambaras. The oft mention of Kundakundanvaya, which is repeatedly met with in various lines of teachers, clearly indicates that a spiritual lineage of Jaina teachers was started some time after Kundakunda.
2. KUNDAKUNDA'S DATE
OUR APPROACH TO THE PROBLEM.-The most important and baffling problem is that about the date of Kundakunda, which, though handled by some scholars, still requires judicious consideration after relative evaluation of various literary and epigraphic records. To start with, it is necessary to take a resumé of the various opinions with evidences advanced by different scholars.
THE TRADITIONAL DATE OF KUNDAKUNDA. The traditional view, current among the Jainas, which is represented by some pontifical lists, says that Kundakunda succeeded to the pontifical chair in V. samvat 49, i.e., about 8 B.C., at the age of 33, remained a teacher for about 52 years and passed away at the age of about 85; the details about the years vary in different Mss. of paṭṭāvalis. Ms. E of a paṭṭāvali, noted by Hoernle, gives 149 V. samvat, i.e., 92 A.D. as the year of his accession to the pontifical chair. According to another tradition, incorporated in a verse of unknown authorship quoted in Vidvaj-jana-bodhaka, Kundakunda flourished (jätaḥ) in 770 after Vira, i.e., 243 A. D.; the verse expresses, rather in a vague manner, that Kundakunda was a contemporary of Umāsvāti. It is the first tradition that is more popular and current.
[p. 11:] DATE PROPOSED BY PT. PREMI.-Pt. Premi's opinion is that Kundakunda might have flourished about the second quarter of the third century, or more definitely he cannot be dated before the middle of the second century A.D.4 The details worked out by him, on the authority of Śrutavatara of Indranandi, are these with additional touches: After the nirvana of Mahavira, 3 Kevalins lived for 62 years; 5 Śruta-Kevalins for 100 years; 11 Ten-Purvins for 183 years; 5 Eleven-Angins for 220 years; and 4 One-Angins for 118 years. Thus the Anga-knowledge continued for a period of 683 years after the nirvana of Mahavira in 527 B.C. Then there followed according to Śrutavatara, the four Arätiya monks who had a partial knowledge of sections of Angas and Purvas; they were succeeded by Arhadbali, Maghanandi and
1 E.C., II, 69: śrimato vardhamānasya Vardhamānasya śāsane śrī-Konḍakunda-nāmābhūn Mula-samghāgrani gani ||
2 See I.A., XXI, p. 57 etc.
3 See 'Svāmī Samantabhadra' by Pt. Jugalkishore, p. 147; the verse runs thus: varṣe sapta-sate caiva saptatya ca vismṛtau Umāsvāmi-munir jātaḥ Kundakundas tathaiva ca ||
4 Jaina Hitaishi, Vol. X, p. 378 etc.
5 Sometime the internal details do differ, though the total No. of years is 683 as the period of the continuity of Anga-jñana after Mahāvīra. See Bhandarakar: Report on search for Sanskrit Mss., 1883-84, Collected Works Vol. II, pp. 284 etc.; Hoernle: Three further Paṭṭāvalīs of Digambaras, 1.A., XXI, pp. 58 etc. For select authoritative texts, see Jayadhavalā Tikā, Sholapur MS. p. 10; 66th sarga of Harivamsa-purana of Jinasena, Ed. 32nd vol. of MDJG; Adipurana of Jinasena, chapter I, verse 139 etc.; also compare Pt. Jugalkishore's searching discussion in Svāmi Samantabhadra, p. 160 etc.
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