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INTRODUCTION
1. 'S'RI KUNDAKUNDĀCĀRYA
A GENERAL APPRECIATION OF KUNDAKUNDA.-The position, which Kundakundācārya occupies among the Jaina authors, especially the Digambara hierarchy, is of a unique character. The mention of his name has an auspicious significance, and comes next only to that of Mahāvīra and his apostle Gautama.? To'trace their spiritual lineage from Kundakunda has been looked upon as a proud privilege by Jaina monks of the Digambara section; and, as a clear proof of this, we have Kundakundānvaya' for three of the four Jaina sanghas
of the Digambara ascetic community in the South. Many later authors are - greatly indebted to him, and some of his works have proved to be a milch-cow
for later commentators for quotations; that at once indicates the authoritative ; character of his works. Three of his works, viz., Pañcāstilcāya, Pravacanasāra
and Samayasāra, are technically called as Nātaka-traya or Prābhịta-traya, perhaps on the ar
he analogy of Prasthāna-traya of the Vedāntins; this suggests that these three works are as much sacred and authoritative for the Jainas as the Upanişads, Brahmasūtras and Bhagavadgūtā for the Vedāntins. Most of his , utterances are above sectarianism; his Samayasāra is studied with devotion by Digambaras, Svetāmbaras and Sthānakavāsis alike; and thousands of
Writually minded votaries, both monks and laymen, have drawn, to this day, vous inspiration and spiritual solace from this work of Kundakunda. Jag TRADITIONAL NAMES OF KUNDAKUNDA-Turning to epigraphic resectionis name is spelt as Kõndakunda, a form with decided Dravidian sy h colour ; Kundakunda is a smooth Sanskritisation of the same, and has
u ly superceded the original word. From certain inscriptions belonging beide welfth century A. D. it is learnt that his original name was Padmanandi, but he came to be called as Kõndakunda, or as we spell it Kundakunda. In an, inscription, at Vijayanagara, of about 1386 A. D., belonging to Nandisangha,
inscrarigalam bhagavān Viro marigalam Gautamo gani / L i galanı Kundakundādyäh Jaina-dharmo' sti marigalam //
scording to a Kanarese MS, Ganabheda, Nandi- Simha- and S'ri Yāpaniya-gahgha nave Kundakundänvaya; while Müla-sangha has Vraşabhagenänvaya. It is an intere. sting MS. which gives the gana, anyaya, gaccha, birudāvali, simhäsana-gädı, namoendings borne by different monks etc. of each sangha; traditional stories about the occasion etc. of the particular sangha are also given. These details, so far as the
historical purpose is concerned, will have to be accepted with caution. 3 These works, though composed in Prakrit, are popularly known by their Sanskrit names. See Epigraphra Carnatica, II, 64, 66, 117, 127, 140, 254 etc.; also Jaina Sualekha-Sangraha,
d. by Prof. Hiralal, Bombay, 1928, by C., II, 64, 66 etc.
