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- INTRODUCTION. 1. 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, 4.1.1. The details worked out by him, on the authority of S'rutāvatāra of Indranandi, are these with additional touches: After the nirvāṇa of Mahāvīra, 3. Kevalins lived for 62 years; 5 S'ruta-Kevalins for 100 years; II Ten-Purvins for.183 years; 5 Eleven-Angins for 220 years; and 4 One-Argins for 118 years. Thus the Arga-knowledge continued for a period of 683 years after the nirvāya of Malāvīra in 527 B. C. Then there followed, according to S'rutāratūra, the four Ārātīya monks who had a partial knowledge of sections of Arigas and Pūrvas; they were succeeded by Arhadbali, Māghanandi and Dharasena; it -, was Dharasena who knew Mahākarma-prābhrta, a portion of Agrāyaniyapūrva; knowing that his life was remaining short and that there was the fear, of texts falling into oblivion, he invited from Veņākatatīpura two intelligent monks of comprehensive grasp, who later on came to be called as Puspadanta and Bhūtabali, to whom he explained the text. Puspadanta and Bhūtabali compressed the Karma-prābhrta and composed Satichanđāgama, which was consequently committed to writing. Another thread of the story says that the saint Guņadhara explained the Mülasūtras and vivarana-gāthäs of Kaşāyaprābhrta to Nāgahasti and Āryamariksu. YativȚsabha studied the same from " them and composed thereon Cūruī-sūtras extending over six thousand granthas. Uccāraṇācārya studied the same from Yativrsabha and wrote a doubly great vrtti. Thus the Kaşāya-prābhrta came to be constituted of the labours of Gunadhara, Yativrsabha, and Uccārana; and it was committed to writing. Now this Siddhānta, consisting of Karma-prābhyta and Kaşāya-prābhrta, was inherited by Padmanandi of Kundakundapura, and he wrote a commentary of twelve thousand s'lokas on the first three sections of Şatkhandāgama. From this it is clear that Kundakunda flourished later than 683 years after Vīrą. Pt. Premi, assigning tentative short periods to Dharasena and others down to Uccāraṇācārya, comes to the conclusion that Kundakunda might have flourished in the last quarter of the third century of_Vikrama era. Another line of argument - adopted by Premiji is based on the tradition that Kundakunda had a dispute with S'vetāmbaras on Ujjayanta-giri. We know from Kundakunda's works, especially Sutta-pāhuda, that the Jaina church was already divided into Digam
S'vetāmbaras by the time of Kundakunda. This division, according tapasāra of Devasena, took place 136 years after the death of king
Premi understood the date given by Dars'anasära as S'ālivāhana placed the origin of S'vetāmbara schism in (136+135) 271 Vikrama
1 Jaina Hatarshi, Vol. X, p 378 etc. 2 Sometime the internal details do differ, though the total No. of years is 683 as the
period of the continuity of Ariga-jñāna after Mahāvīra. See Bhandaraknr: Report on search for Sanskrit Arss., 1883-84, Collected Works Vol. II, pp. 284 etc.; Hoernle Three further Pattavalis of Digambaras, 1. A., XXI, pp. 58 etc. For select authoritative texts, see Jayadhavala Tika, Sholapur MS. p. 10; 66th garga of Harivams'a-purūna of Jinasena, Ed. 32nd vol. of MDJG; Adimirāna of Jinasena, chapter I, verse 139 etc.; also
--- Pt. Jugalkishore's searching discussion in Suçimi Samantabhadra, p. 160 etc.
