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 disciple of Acharya Jinasena and is renowned for completing major Jain commentarial and narrative works. He served as the spiritual guide (rajaguru) to Krishna II (Akalavarsha), of the Rashtrakuta Empire.[1]
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[2]
Gunaseṇa was the royal spiritual preceptor (rajaguru) of Rashtrakuta king Krishna II, one of the greatest patrons of Jainism in Indian history. He later continued in this capacity under Krishna II, Amoghavarsha's successor. Under their patronage, Jain philosophy, literature, and temple architecture experienced significant growth.[3]
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 systematically elaborate Jain karma theory, classifications of soul (jiva), and the metaphysical framework of Jain cosmology.[4]
Legacy
Gunaseṇa’s contributions played a foundational role in the Digambara tradition, both philosophically and literarily. His completion of the Dhavala commentary cemented his position as a key transmitter of Jain doctrinal thought. Through his disciple Gunabhadra, who completed the Uttarapurana, he helped form the full corpus of the Mahapurana.[5]
As the guru to two successive Rashtrakuta rulers, his influence extended beyond religious circles into political and cultural spheres.[6]
Jaini, Padmanabh S. The Jaina Path of Purification. University of California Press, 1979.
Cort, John E. Framing the Jina: Narratives of Icons and Idols in Jain History. Oxford University Press, 2010.
Dundas, Paul. The Jains. 2nd ed., Routledge, 2002.
Upadhye, A.N. “Jinasena and his Literary Contributions,” in Jaina Sahitya aur Itihasa, Mysore University Publications, 1965.
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