PUJYAPADA

Ācārya Pūjyapāda who lived in the 5th century of the Common Era was a renowned grammarian and saint belonging to the Digambara tradition of Jains. Before initiation as a Jain ascetic, he was known as Devanandi. Since it was believed that he was worshiped by demigods on account of his vast scholarship and deep piety, he was named Pūjyapāda. He was heavily influenced by the writings of his predecessors like Ācārya Kundakunda and Ācārya Samantabhadra. He is rated as being the greatest of the early masters of Jain literature.^[1] He was prominent preceptor, with impeccable pontifical pedigree and spiritual lineage. "He was a great yogi, sublime mystic, brilliant poet, noted scholar, eminent author and master of several branches of learning.^[2] He wrote in Sanskrit, in prose as well as verse form.^[2] He was pontiff of the Nandi sangha, which was a part of the lineage of Ācārya Kundakunda. He was the tenth guru of the pontifical lineage of the Nandi Sangha. He was born in a brahmin family of Karnataka. His parents were Madhava Bhatta and Shridevi.^[4]
It is likely that he was the first Jain saint to write not only on religion but also on secular subjects, such as ayurveda and Sanskrit grammar. When one looks at the earlier writers in the Jain tradition, notably Kundakunda and Samantabhadra, one does not find any secular writings. They wrote beautifully on religion and the means to attain liberation. Whereas Ācārya Pūjyapāda, besides being a profound scholar of the Jain religion and a mendicant walking in the footsteps of the Jinas, was a grammarian, master of Sanskrit poetics and of ayurveda. Ācārya Pūjyapāda was said to be the guru of King Durvinita of the Ganga dynasty.^[5] He is reliably dated as having lived between 464 - 524 CE.^[6]

Contents

Ācārya Pūjyapāda’s Works

Ācārya Pūjyapāda’s Philosophy

Some Publications of Ācārya Pūjyapāda's Works

Online Information of Related Interest

References and Notes

Ācārya Pūjyapāda’s Works

★ '

★ '

★ '

★ '

★ '''

★ '''

★ '''
:Digambara Jain monks hold that one must master three texts in order to have a fruitful ascetic career:
::i) '''
::ii) '''Jainendra Vyākaraṇa''' to cleanse one's language
::iii) '''Kalyāṇakāraka''' to cleanse one's body and keep it free of disease and the debilitating effects of aging.

★

★ '''Jainābhiṣeka''' (Jain Anointment) - A work on Jain rituals

★ '''Chandaśāstra''' (Treatise on Prosody) - A work on Sanskrit prosody

Ācārya Pūjyapāda’s Philosophy

Pūjyapāda is emphatic and focused that liberation is the only way to attain eternal bliss. Pointing to the knotty nature of materialism, existentialism and hedonism he leads the reader to the path of spiritual bliss through rational knowledge, rational perception and rational conduct. He is a writer of brevity and does not believe in highly embellished poetry. He says what he needs to in simple Sanskrit verse.

Some Publications of Ācārya Pūjyapāda's Works

Pūjyapāda. . Sanskrit text, Hindi translation, Introduction and Shloka Index. Hindi translation by Dr Jaykumar Jalaj. Edited by Manish Modi. Pandit Nathuram Premi Research Series Volume 14. Mumbai: Hindi Granth Karyalay, 2007. ISBN 978-81-88769-23-0.
Pūjyapāda. "Samādhitantra". Sanskrit text, Hindi translation, Introduction and Shloka Index. Hindi translation by Dr Jaykumar Jalaj. Pandit Nathuram Premi Research Series Volume 5. Mumbai: Hindi Granth Karyalay, 2006. ISBN 978-81-88769-06-3.

Online Information of Related Interest

★ http://www.jainstudy.org

★ http://www.hindibooks.8m.com

★ http://www.gohgk.com

References and Notes

1. Page 98, Jain, Jyoti Prasad. ''The Jaina Sources of the History of Ancient India.'' Second, revised edition: 2005.
2. Page 98, Ibid.
3. Page 98, Ibid.
4. Introduction. Jain, Jaykumar.''Samadhitantra''. First edition, 2006.
5. "Jaina Antiquary". Volume XVIII.1, pp 13-15.
6. Page 102, Jain, Jyoti Prasad. ''The Jaina Sources of the History of Ancient India.'' Second, revised edition: 2005.