Acharya Pujyapada or Pūjyapāda (464–524 CE) was a renowned grammarian and ''

acharya In Indian religions and society, an ''acharya'' (Sanskrit: आचार्य, IAST: ; Pali: ''ācariya'') is a religious teacher in Hinduism and Buddhism and a spiritual guide to Hindus and Buddhists. The designation has different meanings i ...

'' (philosopher monk) belonging to the

Digambara ''Digambara'' (; "sky-clad") is one of the two major Jain schools and branches, schools of Jainism, the other being ''Śvetāmbara'' (white-clad). The Sanskrit word ''Digambara'' means "sky-clad", referring to their traditional monastic pract ...

tradition of

Jains Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion whose three main pillars are nonviolence (), asceticism (), and a rejection of all simplistic and one-sided views of truth and reality (). Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and ...

. It was believed that he was worshiped by demigods on the account of his vast scholarship and deep piety, and thus, he was named Pujyapada. He was said to be the

guru Guru ( ; International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: ''guru'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan-Indian religions, Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: tr ...

of King

Durvinita Durvinita () is seen as the most successful ruler of the Western Ganga dynasty. Son of the previous ruler, Avinita, Durvinita's accession to the throne was disputed by his brother, who had gained the support of the Pallavas and Kadambas. Ther ...

of the

Western Ganga dynasty Western Ganga was an important ruling dynasty of ancient Karnataka in India which lasted from about 350 to 999 CE. They are known as "Western Gangas" to distinguish them from the Eastern Ganga Dynasty, Eastern Gangas who in later centuries r ...

Life

Pujyapada is said to have lived from 510 CE to 600 CE. Born under the name Devanandi to parents Madhava Bhatta and Shridevi, he was a sadhu

Digambara monk A Digambara monk or Digambara Sādhu (also ''muni'', ''sādhu'') is a Sādhu in the Digambar tradition of Jainism, and as such an occupant of the highest limb of the four-fold ''sangha''. Digambar Sādhus have 28 primary attributes which inc ...

, as well as a yogi, mystic, poet, scholar, author and master of several branches of learning. As the Devs from heaven used to come to do Puja of his feet Paad, the title of Pujyapaad was given to him. He was heavily influenced by the writings of his predecessors like ''Acharya'' Kundakunda and ''Acharya'' Samantabhadra. He is rated as being the greatest of the early masters of

Jain literature Jain literature () refers to the literature of the Jain religion. It is a vast and ancient literary tradition, which was initially transmitted orally. The oldest surviving material is contained in the canonical ''Jain Agamas'', which are wri ...

. He was prominent preceptor, with impeccable pontifical pedigree and spiritual lineage. All of his work was written in

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

, in prose as well as verse form.Page 98, Ibid. He was pontiff of the ''Nandi sangha'', which was a part of the lineage of ''Acharya'' Kundakunda. He was the tenth guru of the pontifical lineage of the ''Nandi Sangha''. He was born in a

Brahmin Brahmin (; ) is a ''Varna (Hinduism), varna'' (theoretical social classes) within Hindu society. The other three varnas are the ''Kshatriya'' (rulers and warriors), ''Vaishya'' (traders, merchants, and farmers), and ''Shudra'' (labourers). Th ...

family of

Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...

. It is likely that he was the first Jain saint to write not only on religion but also on non-religious subjects, such as

ayurveda Ayurveda (; ) is an alternative medicine system with historical roots in the Indian subcontinent. It is heavily practised throughout India and Nepal, where as much as 80% of the population report using ayurveda. The theory and practice of ayur ...

and

Sanskrit grammar The grammar of the Sanskrit language has a complex verbal system, rich nominal declension, and extensive use of compound nouns. It was studied and codified by Sanskrit grammarians from the later Vedic period (roughly 8th century BCE), culminatin ...

. ''Acharya'' Pujyapada, besides being a scholar on

Jainism Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religions, Indian religion whose three main pillars are nonviolence (), asceticism (), and a rejection of all simplistic and one-sided views of truth and reality (). Jainism traces its s ...

and a mendicant walking in the footsteps of the Jinas, was a grammarian, master of Sanskrit poetics and of ayurveda. Pujyapada gave the definition of ''

Dāna (Devanagari: , IAST: ) is a Sanskrit and Pali word that connotes the virtue of generosity, charity or giving of alms, in Indian religions and philosophies. In Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism, is the practice of cultivating generosi ...

'' (charity) as the act of giving one's wealth to another for mutual benefit in '' Sarvarthasiddhi''.

Works

* * * * * * * * ''Jainābhiṣeka'' (Jain Anointment) - A work on Jain rituals. * ''Chandaśāstra'' (Treatise on Prosody) - A work on Sanskrit prosody.

References

Citations

Sources

* * * * *

Life

Works

See also

References

Citations

Sources

Further reading