Acharya Pujyapada orPūjyapāda (464–524 CE)[1] was a renowned grammarian andacharya (philosopher monk) belonging to theDigambara tradition ofJains. 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 theguru of KingDurvinita of theWestern Ganga dynasty.[2]
Pujyapada is dated to have lived around 510 CE to 600 CE.[3] Born as Devanandi to parents Madhava Bhatta and Shridevi,[4] he became aDigambara monk, as well as a yogi, mystic, poet, scholar, author and master of several branches of learning.[5] He was born in aJain Brahmans (In Jain philosophy, a pratimādhārī shravaka—a layperson with vows—is considered a Brahman)[6]family ofKarnataka.[3]
He earned the title Pujyapada since he is considered to have devas from heaven come to do puja of his feet (pada).[7] He was heavily influenced by the writings of earlier Digambaras likeKundakunda andSamantabhadra. He is regarded as the greatest of the early masters ofJain literature.[8] He was a prominent preceptor, with an impeccable ancestry and spiritual lineage.[9] He was the tenth guru of the lineage of theNandi Sangha which began with Kundakunda.[3]
It is likely that he was the first Jain saint to write not only on religion but also on non-religious subjects, such asAyurveda andSanskrit grammar,[10] and was a master of Sanskrit poetics and of ayurveda.[citation needed] All of his works, both prose and verse, were written inSanskrit.[9]
In hisSarvarthasiddhi, Pujyapada definedDāna (charity) as the act of giving one's wealth to another for mutual benefit.[11]
Book cover of one of the English translation of Iṣṭopadeśa
Iṣṭopadeśa (Divine Sermons) – a concise work of 51 verses,[12] it uses everyday examples to address ethical aspects of life. Acharya Pujyapada writes that one needs to realize the difference between the eternal soul and mutable body, the trivial and important, the essential and non-essential, to attain liberation. Without this realization, even devotion and meritous actions do not lead to liberation.
Sarvārthasiddhi (Attainment of Higher Goals) -Sarvārthasiddhi is a commentary on theTattvārthasūtra, noted for its precision and conciseness.[10][12][7] It serves as the definitivemula patha for allDigambara works on theTattvārthasūtra. It is the earliest surviving commentary on theTattvārthasūtra,[10] since the earlier commentary, theGandhahastī Mahābhāṣya ofAcharyaSamantabhadra, is no longer extant.
Jainendra Vyākaraṇa (Jainendra Grammar) - considered one of the finest early works onSanskrit grammar.[7]
Samādhitantra (Method of Self-Contemplation) – It is a treatise of 106 verses onyoga and spiritual practice, outlining the path to liberation through differentiation of the soul from the body.
Daśabhaktyādisangraha (Collection of Ten Adorations) - a collection of the adoration of the essentials that help the soul in acquiring merit. The essentials include the Supreme Beings, the Scripture, the Perfect Conduct, and the sacred places like the Nandīśvara Dvīpa.[13]
Śāntyāṣṭaka (Hymn in Praise of Śāntinātha) - A poem of 8 verses in adoration of Bhagavān Śāntinātha, the 16th Tīrthankara.[13]
Śabdāvatāranyāsa (Arrangement of Words and their Forms) - A work on Sanskrit grammar, said to be a gloss onPāṇinī
Jainābhiṣeka (Jain Anointment) - A work on Jain rituals.
Chandaśāstra (Treatise on Prosody) - A work on Sanskrit prosody.
