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<p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{Short description|8th/9th-century CE Indian Jain monk}}<br />
{{for|other people with the same name|Gunasena (name)}}<br />
{{Infobox religious biography<br />
| name = Acharya Gunasena<br />
| religion = [[Jainism]]<br />
| sect = [[Digambar]]<br />
| era = 9th century CE<br />
| predecessor = [[Jinasena|Acharya Jinasena]]<br />
| successor = [[Guṇabhadra (Jain monk)|Gunabhadra]]<br />
| works = "[[Dhavala]]" (co-authored)<br />
| disciples = [[Guṇabhadra (Jain monk)|Gunabhadra]], [[Krishna II]]<br />
| teacher = [[Jinasena]]<br />
| birth_date = 850<br />
| death_date = 900<br />
| image = Acharya Gunasena (Jinasena II) 20250725-191055~2.png<br />
| caption = Gunasena (Jinasena II)<br />
}}<br />
{{Jainism}}<br />
'''Acharya Gunasena''', known more commonly in modern scholarship as ', was a 9th-century CE Digambara Jain monk, scholar, and spiritual leader. He was a Senior disciple of [[Jinasena|Acharya Jinasena]] and is renowned for completing major Jain commentarial and narrative works.<ref>Nagarajaiah 1999, p. 45-50</ref> He served as the spiritual guide (''rajaguru'') to [[Krishna II]] (Akalavarsha), of the [[Rashtrakuta Empire]].<ref>Dundas 2002, p. 27</ref><br />
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== Life and background ==<br />
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 [[Jinasena|Acharya Jinasena]]. and is mentioned in Kannada ("Prashasti" by [[Lokasena]]), as the teacher of [[Guṇabhadra (Jain monk)|Gunabhadra]], Along with Acharya Jinasena<ref>Upadhye 1965, pp. 41–43</ref><ref>Nagarajaiah 1999, p. 50-53</ref><br />
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Gunaseṇa was the royal spiritual preceptor ('''rajaguru''') of Rashtrakuta king [[Krishna II]], one of the greatest patrons of [[Jainism]] in Indian history.<ref>Nagarajaiah 1999, p. 40-44</ref> He later continued in this capacity under Krishna II, Amoghavarsha's successor. Under their patronage, Jain philosophy, literature, and temple architecture experienced significant growth.<ref>Jaini 1979, p. 118</ref><br />
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== Works ==<br />
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=== Dhavala commentary ===<br />
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 [[Virasena|Acharya Virasena]]. These texts provide systematic discussions of Jain karma theory, the classifications of the soul (''jīva''), and the metaphysical framework of Jain cosmology.<ref>Dundas 2002, pp. 74–75</ref><br />
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== Legacy ==<br />
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 (Jainism)|Mahapurana]].<ref>Jaini 1979, p. 121</ref><br />
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As the guru to two successive Rashtrakuta rulers, his influence extended beyond religious circles into political and cultural spheres.<ref>Dundas 2002, pp. 26–28</ref><br />
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== See also ==<br />
* [[Jinasena|Acharya Jinasena]]<br />
* [[Shatkhandagama]]<br />
* [[Guṇabhadra (Jain monk)|Gunabhadra]]<br />
* [[Amoghavarsha I]]<br />
* [[Krishna II]]<br />
* [[Jainism in Karnataka]]<br />
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== References ==<br />
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== Bibliography ==<br />
* {{cite book |last=Jaini |first=Padmanabh S. |title=The Jaina Path of Purification |publisher=University of California Press |location=Berkeley |year=1979 |isbn=9780520034945 |oclc=4779344 |url=https://www.worldcat.org/isbn/0520034948 |access-date=20 August 2025}}<br />
* {{cite book |last=Cort |first=John E. |title=Framing the Jina: Narratives of Icons and Idols in Jain History |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=New York |year=2010 |isbn=9780195385021 |oclc=316835730 |url=https://www.worldcat.org/isbn/9780195385021 |access-date=20 August 2025}}<br />
* {{cite book |last=Dundas |first=Paul |title=The Jains |publisher=Routledge |location=London |year=2002 |edition=2nd |isbn=0-203-39827-0 |oclc=252916273 |url=https://www.worldcat.org/isbn/0203398270 |access-date=7 August 2025}}<br />
* {{cite book |last=Upadhye |first=A. N. |chapter=Jinasena and his Literary Contributions |title=Jaina Sahitya aur Itihasa |publisher=Mysore University Publications |location=Mysore |year=1965 |oclc=3115715 |url=https://www.worldcat.org/title/3115715 |access-date=20 August 2025}}<br />
* {{cite book |last=Nagarajaiah |first=Hampa |title=Jainism in Southern Karnataka |publisher=Sapna Book House |location=Bangalore |year=1999 |oclc=45166444 |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/45166444 |access-date=7 August 2025}}<br />
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{{Jain Gurus}}<br />
{{Jainism topics}}<br />
{{Authority control}}<br />
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[[Category:Digambara monks]]<br />
[[Category:9th-century Indian Jains]]<br />
[[Category:Indian Jain monks]]<br />
[[Category:Jain acharyas]]<br />
[[Category:Jain writers]]<br />
[[Category:Rashtrakuta dynasty]]<br />
[[Category:Year of death missing]]</div>LouJ11418910501