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Preface
Acārya Pujyapada was a Digambara ascetic of a high order, abounding in faith, knowledge, and conduct, the cornerstones of the path leading to liberation. He was a master grammarian and an authority on secular subjects including linguistics, poetics and Ayurveda.
Acārya Pujyapāda was born in a Brahmin family of Karnataka. His parents were Mādhavabhaṭṭa and Śridevī. Kanakagiri, a Jaina heritage centre situated at a distance of about 50 km from Mysore, Karnataka, was his abode. He lived around 5th century CE. He was a renowned Preceptor of the Nandi Sangha, a part of the lineage of Acārya Kundakunda (circa 1st century BCE to 1st century CE).
His writings reveal both the transcendental and the empirical points of view, and are helpful to the ascetics as well as the laity. He has expounded on the writings of Acarya Kundakunda and Acarya Umāsvāmi (alias Acarya Umaswati). Deep influence of Acārya Samantabhadra is conspicuous in his works.
That Acarya Pujyapada was held in great esteem by the subsequent Jaina pontiffs is evident from the following two excerpts from the writings of learned Jaina Ācāryas:
Acarya Jinasena in Adipurāna:
कवीनां तीर्थकृद्देवः किंतरां तत्र वर्ण्यते ।
विदुषां वाङ्मलध्वंसि तीर्थं यस्य वचोमयम् ॥ (१-५२)
How can one portray Acārya Devanandi (alias Acārya
Pūjyapāda) who is like a ford-maker (Tīrthankara, the 'World Teacher') among the poets and whose sacred articulation removes the faults of verbal expression of the scholars? Acarya Subhacandra in Jñānārṇavaḥ:
अपाकुर्वन्ति यद्वाचः कायवाक्चित्तसम्भवम् । कलङ्कमङ्गिनां सोऽयं देवनन्दी नमस्यते ॥
(१-१५)
We make obeisance to Acārya Devanandi (alias Ācārya Pujyapāda) whose expressions wash away all dirt due to the
(XXXI)
