Vaishali Institute Research Bulletin 3

Author(s): R P Poddar
Publisher: Research Institute of Prakrit Jainology & Ahimsa Mujjaffarpur

Page 56

THE PRAKRIT WORKS ATTRIBUTED TO KUNDAKUNDA
47
The tradition attributes not less than eighty four Pahudas to Kundakunda but it is a floating tradition and no commentator has said a single word to this effect. Dr. Upadhye has given a list of 43 works attributed to Kundakunda but the number of available works is compa ratively small. About the authorship of the works attributed to Kundakunda, Dr. Upadhye remarks: "It must be plainly stated that in majority of the works, the original texts scarcely mention the name of Kundakunda; at times traditionally they are attributed to Kundakunda, and sometimes the commentators say that Kundakunda is the author."
The works attributed to Kundakunda may be classified into the following heads :
1. Major works: Popularly known as (1) Pañcāstikāya, ( 2 ) Samaya-sara, (3) Pravacana-sara, and (4) Niyama sāra.
2. Pahuḍas: Ten Påhuḍas.
3. Bhakties: Ten or twelve Bhakties.
4. Works undecided: (1) Mülacara, and (2) Rayaṇa-sara. 5. Works referred but not available: Şat-Khandagama Tikā.
Dr. Upadhye has discussed the works in different order, where as the editor of Kundakunda Bharati puts them in different order. But none of them has given the reasons of deciding the order. It is another point to be decided to ascertain the order of the works.
In this paper I am giving some of my observations on the Prakrit works attributed to Kundakunda.
Pancatthiya Samgaha (PS)
Panca tthiya-Samgaha is popularly known as Pañcastikaya-sāra. It is interesting to note that Kundakunda gives the names 'Samaya' in the second gatha and Pavayaṇa-sara which deals with Pancati hiya-samgaha,' in the gatha nos. 104 & 173 of the text.
At present two recensions of the text are preserved in the two Sanskrit commentaries-one by Amrtacandra and another by Jayasena. Former contains 173 gathas and the latter 181. The text in Kundakunda Bharati has only 173 gāthās. Not merely 8 additional gathas in Jayasena's commentary but all other gathãs are also to be examined so that it is decided how many gathãs were composed and how many traditionally inherited gathãs were compiled by Kundakunda.
4. Ibid., p. 24.
5. Kundakunda- Bharati, ed. by Pt. Pannalal, Sruta Bhandara and Gran tha Prakasana Samiti, Phaltan, first ed., 1970.
6. समयमिमं सुणह वोच्छामि ।
7. भणियं पवयणसारं पंचस्थय संग सुत्तं !
एवं पवयणसारं पंचत्थिय संगहं वियाणित्ता ।