Gunasena

For other people with the same name, see Gunasena (name).

Acharya Gunasena
Gunasena (Jinasena II)
Personal life
Born	850
Died	900
Era	9th century CE
Notable work(s)	"Dhavala" (co-authored)
Religious life
Religion	Jainism
Sect	Digambar
Religious career
Teacher	Jinasena
Predecessor	Acharya Jinasena
Successor	Gunabhadra
Disciples Gunabhadra, Krishna II

Acharya Gunasena (Jinasena II), known more commonly in modern scholarship as Jinasena II, was a 9th-century CE Digambara Jain monk, scholar, and spiritual leader. He was a Senior disciple of Acharya Jinasena and is renowned for completing major Jain commentarial and narrative works. ^[1] He served as the spiritual guide (rajaguru) to Krishna II (Akalavarsha), of the Rashtrakuta Empire. ^[2]

Life and background

Gunaseṇa belonged to the Digambara tradition of Jainism and lived during the Rashtrakuta period in southern India. He was A senior disciple of renowned scholar Acharya Jinasena. and is mentioned in Kannada ("Prashasti" by Lokasena), as the teacher of Gunabhadra, Along with Acharya Jinasena ^{[3] [4]}

Gunaseṇa was the royal spiritual preceptor (rajaguru) of Rashtrakuta king Krishna II, one of the greatest patrons of Jainism in Indian history. ^[5] He later continued in this capacity under Krishna II, Amoghavarsha's successor. Under their patronage, Jain philosophy, literature, and temple architecture experienced significant growth. ^[6]

Works

Dhavala commentary

Gunaseṇa completed the extensive commentary on the Shatkhandagama, one of the earliest and most sacred Digambara Jain texts. The commentary, known as the Dhavala and Mahādhavala, was initiated by Acharya Virasena. These texts provide systematic discussions of Jain karma theory, the classifications of the soul (jīva), and the metaphysical framework of Jain cosmology. ^[7]

Legacy

Gunaseṇa is regarded as an important figure in the Digambara tradition for his philosophical and literary contributions. He is credited with completing the Dhavala commentary, a work that established his role in the transmission of Jain doctrinal thought. His disciple Guṇabhadra later completed the Uttarapurana,together with which the Ādi purāṇa forms the Mahapurana. ^[8]

As the guru to two successive Rashtrakuta rulers, his influence extended beyond religious circles into political and cultural spheres. ^[9]

See also

• ⁠Acharya Jinasena
• ⁠Shatkhandagama
• ⁠Gunabhadra
• ⁠Amoghavarsha I
• ⁠Krishna II
• ⁠Jainism in Karnataka

References

1. Nagarajaiah 1999, p. 45-50
2. Dundas 2002, p. 27
3. Upadhye 1965, pp. 41–43
4. Nagarajaiah 1999, p. 50-53
5. Nagarajaiah 1999, p. 40-44
6. Jaini 1979, p. 118
7. Dundas 2002, pp. 74–75
8. Jaini 1979, p. 121
9. Dundas 2002, pp. 26–28

Bibliography

• Jaini, Padmanabh S. (1979). The Jaina Path of Purification. Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN   9780520034945. OCLC   4779344 . Retrieved 20 August 2025.
• Cort, John E. (2010). Framing the Jina: Narratives of Icons and Idols in Jain History. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN   9780195385021. OCLC   316835730 . Retrieved 20 August 2025.
• ⁠Dundas, Paul (2002). The Jains (2nd ed.). London: Routledge. ISBN   0-203-39827-0. OCLC   252916273 . Retrieved 7 August 2025.
• Upadhye, A. N. (1965). "Jinasena and his Literary Contributions". Jaina Sahitya aur Itihasa. Mysore: Mysore University Publications. OCLC   3115715 . Retrieved 20 August 2025.
• ⁠Nagarajaiah, Hampa (1999). Jainism in Southern Karnataka. Bangalore: Sapna Book House. OCLC   45166444 . Retrieved 7 August 2025.