Pravachansara

Author(s): Vijay K Jain
Publisher: Vikalp Printers

Page 14

Pravacanasāra
gifted those texts to the great monk. For their acts of piety, the master and the boy received blessings from the monk. The master had no issues. It so happened that the faithful boy died after some time. Due to his act of giving the gift of sacred texts to the monk, the boy was born as a son to the merchant. As time passed, this intelligent son became a great philosopher and religious teacher, Kundakunda by name.
The story further turns to the religious pursuits of Sri Kundakunda. The mention of his name in the samavasarana of Sīmandharasvāmi in Pūrva-videhal as the wisest of mortals, the visit of two cāraṇa saints to have it verified, Śrī Kundakunda's indifference to them on account of his deep meditation, their return in disgust, the misunderstanding cleared and reconciliation between the cārana saints and Sri Kundakunda, and the latter's visit to the samavasarana of Sīmandharasvāmi in Purvavideha with the two carana saints. The merit of śāstradāna made him a great leader of thought and organizer of institutions. He secured the throne of Ācārya and spent his life in usefulness and glory. [adapted from A. Chakravarti Nayanar (2009), “Ācārya Kundakunda's Pańcāstikāyasāra”, Third Edition, p. xix-xx.]
Ācārya Kundakunda's works
Acārya Kundakunda, who had great penchant for spiritual exposition, is universally accepted as the author of the following treatises:
1. Pancāstikāyasara 2. Samayasāra 3. Pravacanasāra 4. Niyamasāra 5. Aştapāhuda or Atthapāhuda
i) Dansaņapāhuda or Darśanapāhuda (36 gathas)
1 As per the Jaina cosmology, there are five Meru and five Videha in the human region. Each Videha is divided into four regions formed due to division by rivers Sītā and Sītodā. In five Meru of Videha there are twenty regions; if one Tīrthańkara is present in each region, there would be a minimum of 20 Tīrthańkara in five Videha-regions. Lord Sīmandharasvāmi is the Tīrthankara present in the Pūrva-Videha region of Jambūdvīpa.
(xiv)