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 preceptor and expert instructor in matters such as religion, or any other subject. An acharya is a highly learned person with a ...

'' (philosopher monk) belonging to the

Digambara ''Digambara'' (; "sky-clad") is one of the two major schools of Jainism, the other being '' Śvētāmbara'' (white-clad). The Sanskrit word ''Digambara'' means "sky-clad", referring to their traditional monastic practice of neither possessing ...

tradition of

Jains Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current time cycle being ...

. 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 ( sa, गुरु, IAST: ''guru;'' Pali'': garu'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan- Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: traditionally, the guru is a reverential ...

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 1000 CE. They are known as "Western Gangas" to distinguish them from the Eastern Gangas who in later centuries ruled over Kalinga (m ...

Life

Pujyapada is said to have lived from 510 CE to 600 CE. His real name was ''Devanandi'' and he was a sadhu

Digambara monk 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''. They are also called ''Nirgranth'' which means "one without any bonds". ...

. 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 Kundakunda was a Digambara Jain monk and philosopher, who likely lived in the 2nd CE century CE or later. His date of birth is māgha māsa, śukla pakṣa, pañcamī tithi, on the day of Vasant Panchami. He authored many Jain texts such ...

and ''Acharya'' Samantabhadra. He is rated as being the greatest of the early masters of Jain literature. He was prominent preceptor, with impeccable pontifical pedigree and spiritual lineage. He was a yogi, mystic, poet, scholar, author and master of several branches of learning. He wrote in

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural diffusion ...

, in prose as well as verse form. 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 (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests ( purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers ( ...

family of

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO 15919, ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reor ...

. His parents were Madhava Bhatta and Shridevi.Introduction. Jain, Jaykumar.''Samadhitantra''. First edition, 2006. 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. The theory and practice of Ayurveda is pseudoscientific. Ayurveda is heavily practiced in India and Nepal, where around 80% of the population rep ...

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), culminati ...

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

Jainism Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current time cycle bein ...

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

'' (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

* * * * * {{Authority control Jain acharyas Indian Jain monks 5th-century Indian Jains 5th-century Jain monks 5th-century Indian monks 6th-century Indian Jains 6th-century Jain monks 6th-century Indian monks 464 births 524 deaths