Ācārya Bhadrabāhu (c. 367 – c. 298 BC) was, according to both theŚvetāmbara andDigambara sects ofJainism, the lastShruta Kevalin (all knowing by hearsay, that is indirectly) in Jainism.[1][2][3]
Acharya Bhadrabāhu Swami/Suri | |
|---|---|
 Image of Bhadrabāhu at Kesariyaji Adinath Jain Temple, Palitana | |
| Personal life | |
| Born | c. 367 BC |
| Died | c. 298 BC |
| Notable work(s) | Uvasagharam Stotra,Kalpa Sutra |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Jainism |
| Sect | Digambara andŚvetāmbara |
| Initiation | by Govarddhana Mahamuni (Digambara) by Acharya Yashobhadrasuri (Śvetāmbara) |
| Religious career | |
| Successor | Acharya Vishakha (Digambara) Acharya Sthulabhadrasuri (Śvetāmbara) |
| Ascetics initiated | Chandragupta Maurya (Digambara) Sthavir Godas, Sthavir Agnidatt, Sthavir Yagnadatt, Sthavir Somdatt (Śvetāmbara) |
According to theDigambara tradition, he was the spiritual teacher ofChandragupta Maurya, the founder of theMaurya Empire.[4] According to theDigambara sect of Jainism, there were fiveShruta Kevalins in Jainism – Govarddhana Mahamuni, Vishnu, Nandimitra, Aparajita and Bhadrabahu.[5]
According to theŚvetāmbara tradition, he was the author of the holyKalpa Sūtra,[6] which describes the life ofMahavira and otherTirthankaras. It also lists down aSthaviravali (a succession list of the names of the head of the Jain monastic order according toŚvetāmbaras, starting withMahavira'sGanadhara (disciple)Sudharmaswami).[7]Śvetāmbaras consider Bhadrabahusuri to be aSthavirkalpi monk (as described in theĀcārāṅga Sūtra, theKalpa Sūtra, and theSthananga Sutra), and thus, white-clad.Śvetāmbaras also consider him to have had been aShruta Kevalin.
Early life
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Bhadrabahu was born inPundravardhana (roughly equivalent to modernNorth Bengal[8]) to aBrahmin family[9] during which time the secondary capital of theMauryas wasUjjain. When he was seven, Govarddhana Mahamuni predicted that he will be the lastShruta Kevali and took him along for his initial education.[5] According toŚvētāmbara tradition, he lived from 433 BC to 357 BC.[10]Digambara tradition dates him to have died in 365 BC.[11] Natubhai Shah dated him from 322 to 243 BC.[12]
Yasobhadra (351-235 BC), leader of the religious order reorganised byMahavira, had two principle disciples, Sambhutavijaya (347-257 BC) and Bhadrabahu.[12] After his death the religious order was led by Sambhutivijaya. After Sambhutivijaya's death, Bhadrabahu became the head of the monastic order.[12]
Digambara biography and explanation of sixteen dreams of Chandragupta
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TheDigambara sect believes that on the night of full moon in the month ofKartik,Chandragupta Maurya (founder and ruler ofMaurya Empire) saw sixteen dreams, which were then explained to him byAcharya Bhadrabahu.[13]
| Dream of Chandragupta | Explanation by Bhadrabahu |
|---|---|
| The sun setting | All the knowledge will be darkened |
| A branch of theKalpavriksha break off and fall | Decline ofJainism and Chandragupta's successors won't be initiated |
| A divine car descending in the sky and returning | The heavenly beings will not visit Bharata Kshetra |
| The disk of the moon sundered | Jainism will be split into two sects |
| Blackelephants fighting | Lesser rains and poorer crops |
| Fireflies shining in the twilight | True knowledge will be lost, few sparks will glimmer with feeble light |
| A dried up lake | Aryakhanda will be destitute of Jain doctrines and falsehood will increase |
| Smoke filling all the air | Evil will start to prevail and goodness will be hidden |
| Anape sitting on a throne | Vile, low-born, wicked will acquire power |
| Adog eating the payasa out of a golden bowl | Kings, not content with a sixth share, will introduce land-rent and oppress their subjects by increasing it |
| Young bulls labouring | Young will form religious purposes, but forsake them when old |
| Kshatriya boys riding donkeys | Kings of high descent will associate with the base |
| Monkeys scaring away swans | The low will torment the noble and try to reduce them to same level |
| Calves jumping over the sea | King will assist in oppressing the people by levying unlawful taxes |
| Foxes pursuing old oxen | The low, with hollow compliments, will get rid of the noble, the good and the wise |
| A twelve-headed serpent approaching | Twelve year of death and famine will come upon this land[14] |
Bhadrabahu was in Nepal for a 12-year penitential vow when the Pataliputra conference took place in 300 BC to put together the Jain canon anew. Bhadrabahu decided the famine would make it harder for monks to survive and migrated with a group of twelve thousand disciples toSouth India,[15][16] bringing with himChandragupta, turnedDigambar monk.[17][14]
According to the inscriptions atShravanabelgola, Bhadrabahu died after taking the vow ofsallekhana (Fast until death).[18]
"Digambara monks belong to the lineage ofAcharya Vishakha andŚvetāmbara monks follow the tradition of AcharyaSthulabhadra.[19] However, the theory that the schism occurred at that time has not been historically proven.
Avashyak Bhashya, a 5th-centuryŚvetāmbara text written byJinabhadra claims that theŚvetāmbara sect had always existed and that the Digambara sect was created by a rebellious monk namedSivabhuti.[20][21][22]
Śvetāmbara biography
editAccording toŚvetāmbaras, Bhadrabahusuri was the author of theKalpa Sūtra,[23] four Chedda sutras, theniryukti collection on ten scriptures,[24] andUvasaggaharam Stotra.[25][9] The 10niryuktis authored by him are: -
- Āvaśyaka-Niryukti
- Daśavaikālika-Niryukti
- Uttarādhyayana-Niryukti
- Āchārāṅga-Niryukti
- Sutrakritanga-Niryukti
- Daśāśrutaskandha-Niryukti
- Kalpa-Niryukti
- Vyavahāra-Niryukti
- Sūryaprajnapti-Niryukti
- Ṛṣibhāṣita-Niryukti
Śvetāmbaras believe Bhadrabahu's principle disciples were Sthavir Godas, Sthavir Agnidatt, Sthavir Yagnadatt, and Sthavir Somdatt. However, in thePattavali ofKalpa Sūtra, he is said to have been succeeded byAcharya Sthulabhadrasuri.
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He is believed to have been aSthavirkalpi monk and white-clad asŚvetāmbaras believe that the only other way for monks (known asJinakalpa) or the practice of being aJinakalpi monk had become extinct afterJambuswami attainednirvana.[26][27] Therefore,Śvetāmbaras hold that he was Sthavirkalpi and thus, white-clad.
Śvetāmbaras believe that Bhadrabāhu is the author of the following texts within the official Śvetāmbaras scriptural canon (typically consisting of 45 texts).[28]
- Vyavahāra (3rd Chedasūtra)
- 8th chapter ofDaśāśrutaskandha (4th Chedasūtra)
- Kappa (5th Chedasūtra)
- Piṇḍaniryukti (4th Mūlasūtra)
- Oghaniryukti
Legacy
editRegarding the inscriptions describing the relation of Bhadrabahu and Chandragupta Maurya,Radha Kumud Mookerji writes,
The oldest inscription of about 600 AD associated "the pair (yugma), Bhadrabahu along with ChandraguptaMuni." Two inscriptions of about 900 AD on theKaveri nearSeringapatam describe the summit of a hill calledChandragiri as marked by the footprints of Bhadrabahu and Chandraguptamunipati. AShravanabelagola inscription of 1129 mentions Bhadrabahu "Shrutakevali", and Chandragupta who acquired such merit that he was worshipped by the forest deities. Another inscription of 1163 similarly couples and describes them. A third inscription of the year 1432 speaks ofYatindra Bhadrabahu, and his disciple Chandragupta, the fame of whose penance spread into other words.[17]
Bhadrabahu-charitra was written by Ratnanandi of about 1450 AD.[17]
See also
editReferences
editCitations
edit- ^Fynes, F.C.C. (1998).Hemachandra The Lives of Jain Elders (1998 ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press, Oxford World Classics. p. xxi.ISBN 0-19-283227-1.
- ^Bhattacharyya, N.N. (2009).Jainism, a Concise Encyclopedia. New Delhi: Manohar Publishers and Distributors. p. 235.ISBN 978-81-7304-312-3.
- ^Jain, Jagdish Chandra (1984).Life in Ancient India: As Depicted in the Jain Canon and Commentaries, 6th Century BC to 17th Century AD. Munshiram Manoharlal.
- ^Wiley 2009, p. 51.
- ^abRice 1889, p. 3.
- ^Indian Antiquary. Popular Prakashan. 1910.
- ^"Jaina Sutras, Part I (SBE22): Lives of the Ginas: List of the Sthaviras".sacred-texts.com. Retrieved2 April 2024.
- ^Majumdar, R.C. (1971).History of Ancient Bengal (1971 ed.). Calcutta: G.Bharadwaj & Co. p. 12 & 13.
- ^abJaini, Padmanabh (2000).Collected Papers on Jaina Studies. Motilal Banarasidass. p. 299.
- ^Vidyabhusana 2006, p. 164.
- ^Vidyabhusana 2006, p. 164–165.
- ^abcNatubhai Shah 2004, p. 42.
- ^Rice 1889, p. 4.
- ^abSangave 2001, p. 174.
- ^Dundas 2002, p. 47.
- ^Rice 1889, p. 5.
- ^abcMookerji 1988, p. 40.
- ^Sangave 1981, p. 32.
- ^Natubhai Shah 2004, p. 39.
- ^Dundas, Paul (2 September 2003).The Jains. Routledge.ISBN 978-1-134-50165-6.
- ^"Digambara",britannica.com
- ^Sthulabhadra, Ganesh Lalwani, Jain Journal, April 1985, p. 152
- ^Mookerji 1988, p. 4.
- ^Leumann, Ernst."Outline of Avasyaka Literature".
- ^Wiley 2009, p. 52.
- ^Jaini, Padmanabh S. (14 August 2018).Gender and Salvation: Jaina Debates on the Spiritual Liberation of Women. Univ of California Press.ISBN 978-0-520-30296-9.
- ^Utz, David Anthony; Gaeffke, Peter (1984).Identity and Division in Cults and Sects in South Asia. Department of South Asia Regional Studies.ISBN 978-0-936115-00-9.
- ^Tatia, Nathmal (1994).That Which Is. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 294.ISBN 978-0-06-068985-8.
Sources
edit- Dundas, Paul (2002) [1992],The Jains (Second ed.),Routledge,ISBN 0-415-26605-X
- Mookerji, Radha Kumud (1988) [first published in 1966],Chandragupta Maurya and his times (4th ed.),Motilal Banarsidass,ISBN 81-208-0433-3
- Rice, Benjamin Lewis (1889).Epigraphia Carnatica: Rev. ed (in Kannada). Mysore Government Central Press.
- Sangave, Vilas Adinath (1981),The Sacred Sravana-Belagola: A Socio-religious study (First ed.),Bharatiya Jnanpith
- Sangave, Vilas Adinath (2001),Facets of Jainology: Selected Research Papers on Jain Society, Religion, and Culture, Popular Prakashan,ISBN 978-81-7154-839-2
- Shah, Natubhai (2004) [First published in 1998],Jainism: The World of Conquerors, vol. I,Motilal Banarsidass,ISBN 978-81-208-1938-2
- Wiley, Kristi L (16 July 2009),The a to Z of Jainism, Scarecrow Press, p. 51,ISBN 9780810868212
- Vidyabhusana, Satis Chandra (2006) [1920],A History of Indian Logic: Ancient, Mediaeval and Modern Schools,Motilal Banarsidass,ISBN 81-208-0565-8
- Vyas, Dr. R. T., ed. (1995),Studies in Jaina Art and Iconography and Allied Subjects, The Director, Oriental Institute, on behalf of the Registrar, M.S. University of Baroda, Vadodara,ISBN 81-7017-316-7
Further reading
edit- Bhadrabāhu.Āvaśyakaniryukti with Haribhadra’s commentary (reprint of Āgamodaya Samiti edition), vol. 1, Bombay, 1981.
- Bhadrabāhu.Kalpasūtra, ed.Hermann Jacobi, Leipzig, 1879.
External links
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Media related toBhadrabahu at Wikimedia Commons
