Acharya Kundakudacharya needs no introduction. He graced the country with his divine presence in the first century B.C. His great book Samaysaara has 400- odd verses. Nothing surpasses the excellence of Samaysaara 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 soul hood.
Kundakundacharya is an unquestioned authority of Jana dogmatizes; and his position, especially among the Join 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 words are available in Prakrit which borders of Saurseni and contains some traits of Ardha-magadhi and hence called Jain-Saurseni.
For example-
The saints (who are) the expounders of the Universe, call his 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 full knowledge of all the scriptures, yet from real standpoint he can only be termed Shruta-Kevali, when he realizes the absolute and pure soul. It is so because the object of scriptural knowledge is to procure self-realization, which alone is the cause of internal and external peace and happiness and of shedding off of the karmas which hinder soul from attaining its full and perfect status.
The conquerors call him a knower of scriptural knowledge who has all scriptural knowledge; because the soul (is) all knowledge, therefore (it is also) the knower of the scriptural knowledge (Shruta-Kevali).
Commentary: This Gatha gives an illustration of the practical point of view, which has been said to be a means for explaining the real point of view. It is only with reference to his being possessed of all scriptural knowledge that a Shruat-Kevali is called as such from the practical point of view; and in view of his realization of the self, he is termed so from the real point of view. As knowledge of scriptures is not distinct from all-knowledge, the attribute of the pure soul, this description from practical standpoint merely indicates that a Shruta-Kevali is really the knower of the self in its reality.
The Essence of Samayasaara
1- This is also mentioned in the Gita as shown below :
But, for a person who takes delight only in this self, is satisfied with the self and content in the self alone, there is no further work to be done by him.
(vi) Spiritual Knowledge was derived first from Kshatriya -
“As (to what) you have said to me, Gautama (Brahman) , this knowledge did not go to any Brahman before you, and therefore this teaching belonged in all the worlds to the Kshatriya class alone.”
In a living organism the soul can be conceived as the nucleus circumscribed by the limits of the gross physical body. It is to be liberated and enlightened. Kundakundacharya’s advice – remain a spectator, an observer, a witness to all that is happening n the physical world but do not become an actor, a doer, because the drama is being played by the aliens and you being a spectator has right knowledge, right faith and right conduct constituting the right path to final emancipation and liberation of soul. The trio is known as “The Three Jewels”.
Samaysara is the ultimate conscious reality. The enlightened soul has infinite glory. It has to innate ability to demolish the power of karmas, both auspicious (punya) as well as inauspicious (papa), which constitute the cycle of births and deaths, and are an obstacle in the path of liberation of the soul.
Blessings!
Archarya Vidyanandji Maharaj