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FOREWORD
Kundakundacharya needs no
I introduction. He graced the country with his divine presence in the first century B.C. His great book Samayasāra has 400-odd verses. Nothing surpasses the excellence of Samayasāra which is self-contained, self-determining, self-sufficient, pure and perfect Super-Self. The soul is the sole determinant of its own pure psychic status. The soul never loses its soulhood. Kundakundacharya is an unquestioned authority of Jaina dogmatics; and his position, especially among the Jain Teachers and Authors of the South, is unique. His very name has an auspicious significance, to be enumerated next only to that of Mahavira and Gautam Ganadhara. All his works are available in Prākrit which borders on Şaurseni and contains some traits of Ardha-māgadhi and hence called Jain-Şaurseni. For example
जो हि सुदेणहिगच्छदि अप्पाणमिणं तु केवलं सुद्ध। तं सुदकेवलिमिसिणो भणंति लोयप्पदीवयरा॥
(1-9-9) The saints (who are the expounders of the Universe, call him a knower of scripture, who in reality, from knowledge of the scriptures, knows this very soul (to be) absolutely pure. Commentary: The author points out that although a Shruta-Kevali has
