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śramaņa, Vol 59, No. 4/October-December 2008
The systematic history of Jaina philosophical literature and of both Digambara and Svetāmbara ācāryas, begins from 1"century AD, Kundakunda was the great influential ācārya (spiritual preceptor or guide, a founder or lcader of a sect, or a man of distinguished learning) of this century, that he preceded Umāsvāti, Samantabhadra and Siddhasena, that his work Samayasāra is like a great river, and that the discussion on knowledge and knowable in Kundakunda's works subsequently became the foundation of Jaina philosophy. S'
Moreover, in his preface to the book Samayasāra: Niscaya aura Vyavahāra Ki Yātrā (Samayasāra: The Journey of Vyavahāra and Niścaya), Yuvacharya Mahaprajna, the present head Ācārya of Terāpantha Svetämbara sect, observes:
Ācārya Kundakunda was a great spokesman and guide of spiritualism (adhyātma)... Samayasāra is the representative treatise on spiritualism (adhyātma). It is one of the first rank books in the world literature on spiritualism (adhyātma). It is not easy to understand the deep insights contained in this workē. Kundakunda cannot be constrained or bound in the limits of niscaya-naya, though many scholars have attempted to constrain him in that way."
Švetāmbara Muni Dhananjaya Kumar, in his editorial to the above-mentioned book, endeavored to remove the misunderstanding and prevalent confusion among scholars, who accuse Kundakunda of “massively” leaning towards niscaya-naya and of ignoring or even negating vyavahāra-naya altogether, in these words:
Vyavahāra is necessary to lead one's life in society and fulfill one's social responsibilities and relationships, but niscaya represents higher truth in that it helps in making that life pure, i.e. peaceful and happy, and ensuring successful adjustment of social relationships. If niścaya is darpaņa (mirror), then Vyavahāra is its pratibimba (reflection, image or shadow); if niscaya is an ideal (ādarśa), then Vyavahāra is its kasauți (touchstone, test, proof, criterion); whatever is the value of pratibimba and kasauti, the value of ideal and darpana is much more; for us that niscaya is useful which is reflected in vyavahāra and that vyavahāra is an ideal for us, which is inspired by
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