Soul Science Part 01

Author(s): Parasmal Agrawal
Publisher: Kundakunda Gyanpith

Page 30

XXIX
Introduction
मंगलं भगवान् वीरो, मंगलं गौतमो गणी।
मंगलं कुन्दकुन्दाद्यो, जैन धर्मोऽस्तु मंगलं ।। The above mentioned verse is recited by Jains (specially, by Digamber Jains) before the beginning of any auspicious work. In this verse, a devotee says that Lord Mahāvīra, Gautama Gañadhara, and Ācārya Kundakunda, etc., are auspicious. This shows the auspicious significance of Ācārya Kundakunda's name which is enumerated next only to that of Lord Mahāvīra and his chief disciple Gautama Gañadhara. The level of reverence of Ācārya Kundakunda can also be seen from the fact that Ācārya Vidyanandji [1], Aryika Gyanmati Mataji [2], and many saints and scholars have written titles like 'Bhagavāna' and 'His Holiness' before his name. Acārya Kundakunda is considered to be borne in the southern part of India in the second century. He wrote a large number of scriptures and Samayasāra is considered as his most valuable scripture.
Samayasāra and its importance
In the past, Ācārya Kundakunda's Samayasāra has been a scripture of immense interest to a large number of eminent scholars and saints including Ācārya Amrtacandra (10th century), Ācārya Jayasena (12-13th century), Pt. Rajmallaji (16th century), Pundit Banarasidasji (16th century), Pundit Todarmalji (18th century), Pundit Jayachandaji Chhabada (18th century), Shrimad Rajchandraji (19th century), etc., who all had studied this treatise in great detail and used it as a basis for their own respective works. In the past 50 years, a large number of commentaries and discourses of eminent saints and scholars on Samayasāra have been published (1-12].
Ācārya Vidyasagarji [3] writes that every stanza of Samayasāra is filled with nectar and nectar, and he drank and drank this nectar through his spiritual teacher Ācārya Shri Gyansagarji. It resulted into an unprecedented Self realization. In his words, “un (1994HR 17) प्रत्येक गाथा में अमृत ही अमृत भरा है और मैं पीता ही गया! पीता ही गया!! माँ के