Acharya Shri Virasena Ji Maharaj
Acharya Virasena
Personal life
Born	750
Died	825
Notable work(s)	Dhavala
Religious life
Religion	Jainism
Sect	Digambara
Religious career
Teacher	Aryanandi
Predecessor	Aryanandi
Successor	Jinasena
Disciples Jinasena, Dasharayaguru, Vinayasena, Shripal, Padmasena, Devasena,Kumudendu Muni

Acharya Virasena (750–825CE),^[1] also spelt asVeerasena, was a Jain monk and belonged to the lineage of AcharyaKundakunda.^[2] He was anIndian mathematician and Jain philosopher and scholar of Digambar sect. He was also known as a famous orator and an accomplished poet.^[3] He is renowned for his work on the monumental Jain commentary series on the ''Shatkhandagama'', known as the ''Dhavala'' texts.^[4] The late Dr. Hiralal Jain places the completion of this treatise in 816.^[5] He played a critical role in the development of Digambara scholasticism and is considered one of the greatest Jain scholars of early medieval India.

Virasena was a noted mathematician. He gave the derivation of thevolume of afrustum by a sort of infinite procedure. He worked with the concept ofardhachheda: the number of times a number can be divided by 2. This coincides with thebinary logarithm when applied topowers of two, but gives the2-adic order rather than the logarithm for other integers.^[6][7]

Virasena gave the approximate formulaC = 3d + (16d+16)/113 to relate the circumference of a circle,C, to its diameter,d. For large values ofd, this gives the approximation π ≈ 355/113 = 3.14159292..., which is more accurate than the approximation π ≈ 3.1416 given byAryabhata in theAryabhatiya.^[8]

Virasena was a disciple of the Jain acharyaAryanandi and flourished during theRashtrakuta KingDhruva Dharavarsha andGovinda III.^[9] He was based in the Deccan region and attracted several prominent disciples, including Jinasena I and Gunasena, later known as Jinasena II.^[10]

Virasena was proficient in astrology, grammar, logic, mathematics and prosody. He wroteDhavala, a commentary on Jain canonShatakhandagama. He also started the work onJayadhavalaa which was completed by his disciples. He was among the jewels ofRashtrakuta Emperor Dhruva dharavarsha and Govinda III, it is also says that he also present at the time ofAmoghavarsha.^[11]

His lineage started with Chandrasena who initiated Aryanandi.^[12] Aryanandi initiated Virasena andJayasena.^[12] Virasena initiated six disciples who were Dasharayguru,Jinasena, Vinayasena, Shripal, Padmasena and Devasena.^[12] Dasharayguru and Jinasena initiated Gunabhadra who later initiated Lokasena.^[12] Vinayasena initiated Kumarasena who started theKashtha Sangha.^[12]

Virasena is primarily known for initiating the commentary project on theShatkhandagama, one of the most revered canonical texts in DigambaraJainism. This massive commentary is collectively referred to as theDhavala series, and it includes:

•⁠ ⁠Dhavala

•⁠ ⁠Jayadhavala

•⁠ ⁠Mahadhavala

While Virasena began theDhavala, he was unable to complete it in his lifetime. The work was carried forward by his disciples Jinasena II (Gunasena) and others.^[13]

These texts are not only commentaries but also rich repositories of Jain philosophy, cosmology, and metaphysics.

Virasena is also credited with contributions to Jain mathematics and logic. He was among the early thinkers to use concepts of infinitesimals and logarithmic reasoning, although in a proto-mathematical form embedded in religious cosmology.^[14]

Virasena mentored several disciples who carried forward his intellectual legacy:•⁠ ⁠Jinasena: Author of theAdi Purana, an epic Jain text on Rishabhanatha and Bharata.•⁠ ⁠Gunasena (Jinasena II): Successor of Jinasena I, and co-author of theDhavala commentary series.

Acharya Virasena is revered as a pioneering figure in the Digambara tradition for his scholarship and rigorous analysis of Jain doctrine. His contributions to Jain literature and mathematics mark him as a significant figure in early medieval Indian intellectual history. TheDhavala series continues to be studied by Jain scholars and remains a cornerstone of Digambara exegesis.

• Indian mathematics
• Umaswami
• Hemachandra
• Shatkhandagama
• Jainism in Karnataka
• Rashtrakuta literature

• Jain, Pannalal, ed. (1951),Mahapurana Adipurana of Bhagavata Jinasenacharya,Bharatiya Jnanapitha
• Jaini, Padmanabh S. (1991),Gender and Salvation: Jaina Debates on the Spiritual Liberation of Women,University of California Press,ISBN 0-520-06820-3
• Shah, Natubhai (2004) [First published in 1998],Jainism: The World of Conquerors, vol. I,Motilal Banarsidass,ISBN 81-208-1938-1
• ⁠Cort, John E. Framing the Jina: Narratives of Icons and Idols in Jain History. Oxford University Press, 2010. ISBN 9780195385021.
• ⁠ Dundas, Paul. The Jains. 2nd ed., Routledge, 2002. ISBN 9780415305940.
• ⁠Jaini, Padmanabh S. The Jaina Path of Purification. University of California Press, 1979. ISBN 9780520039944.
• ⁠Upadhye, A.N. “Virasena and the Dhavala Tradition.” In Studies in Jaina History and Culture, ed. P.S. Jaini, Motilal Banarsidass, 1999.

• Media related toVirasena at Wikimedia Commons
• Singh, A. N."Mathematics of Dhavala". Lucknow University. Translation of part of theDhavala.

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• 750 births
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