Bhadrabahu

Shruta-kevalin Acharya Shri Bhadrabahu Ji Maharaj
Inscription of the incoming of Shrutakevali Bhadrabahu swami and Chandragupta Maurya (Shravanabelagola)
Personal
Born	c. 433 BCE
Died	c. 357 BCE Shravanbelgola
Religion	Jainism
Parents	Soma Sarmma (father) Soma Sri (mother)
Sect	Digambara
Notable work(s)	Uvasagharam Stotra
Religious career
Successor	Acharya Vishakha
Ascetics initiated	Chandragupta Maurya
Initiation	by Govarddhana Mahamuni (Shruta Kevalin)

Bhadrabahu (c. 433 – c. 357 BCE) was the last Shrut Kevali (all knowing by hearsay, that is indirectly) in Jainism. He was a Digambara Acharya and the spiritual teacher of Chandragupta Maurya.

There were five Shruta Kevalis in Jainism - Govarddhana Mahamuni, Vishnu, Nandimitra, Aparajita and Bhadrabahu.

Early life

Bhadrabahu was born in Pundravardhana (now in Bangladesh) to a Brahmin family during which time the secondary capital of the Mauryas was Ujjain. When he was seven, Govarddhana Mahamuni predicted that he will be the last Shruta Kevali and took him along for his initial education. He was then initiated as a Digambara Muni and by practicing gyan, dhyan, tap and sanyam got the Acharya pad.

Ascetic life

Bhadrabahu Gupha on Chandragiri

On the night of full moon in the month of Kartik, Chandragupta Maurya (founder and ruler of Maurya Empire) saw sixteen dreams, which were then explained to him by Acharya Bhadrabahu.

S. No.	Dream of Chandragupta	Explanation by Bhadrabahu
1	The sun setting	All the knowledge will be darkened
2	A branch of the Kalpavriksha break off and fall	Decline of Jainism and Chandragupta's successors won't be initiated
3	A divine car descending in the sky and returning	The heavenly beings will not visit Bharata Kshetra
4	The disk of the moon sundered	Jainism will be split into two sects
5	Black elephants fighting	Lesser rains and poorer crops
6	Fireflies shining in the twilight	True knowledge will be lost, few sparks will glimmer with feeble light
7	A dried up lake	Aryakhanda will be destitute of Jain doctrines and falsehood increase
8	Smoke filling all the air	Evil prevail and goodness hidden
9	An ape sitting on a throne	Vile, low-born, wicked will acquire power
10	A dog 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
11	Young bulls labouring	Young will form religious purposes, but forsake them when old
12	Kshatriya boys riding donkeys	Kings of high descent will associate with the base
13	Monkeys scaring away swans	The low will torment the noble and try to reduce them to same level
14	Calves jumping over the sea	King will assist in oppressing the people by levying unlawful taxes
15	Foxes pursuing old oxen	The low, with hollow compliments, will get rid of the noble, the good and the wise
16	A twelve-headed serpent approaching	twelve year of death and famine will come upon this land

Stella showing the transmission of the oral tradition (Photo: Marhiaji, Jabalpur)

Bhadrabahu decided the famine would make it harder for monks to survive and migrated with a group of twelve thousand disciples to South India, bringing with him Chandragupta, turned Digambara monk.

According to the inscriptions at Shravanabelgola, Bhadrabahu died after taking the vow of Sallekhana.

Works

According to Svetambaras, Bhadrabahu was the author of Kalpa Sūtra, four Chedda sutras, commentaries on ten scriptures, Bhadrabahu Samhita and Vasudevcharita.

Legacy

Bhadrabahu, who was a Digambara Acharya, remains an exemplar of dedication to first principles at any cost. After him, the Sangha split into two separate teacher-student lineages of monks. Digambara monks belong to the lineage of Acharya Vishakha and Svetambara monks follow the tradition of Sthulabhadra.

Regarding 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 Chandragupta Muni." Two inscriptions of about 900 AD on the Kaveri near Seringapatam describe the summit of a hill called Chandragiri as marked by the footprints of Bhadrabahu and Chandragupta munipati. A Shravanabelagola 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 of Yatindra Bhadrabahu, and his disciple Chandragupta, the fame of whose penance spread into other words.

— Radha Kumud Mookerji

Bhadrabahu-charitra was written by Ratnanandi of about 1450 AD.

References

• Wiley, Kristi L (16 July 2009), The a to Z of Jainism, p. 51, ISBN 9780810868212
• Sangave, Vilas Adinath (2001), Facets of Jainology: Selected Research Papers on Jain Society, Religion, and Culture, Popular Prakashan, ISBN 978-81-7154-839-2
• Dundas, Paul (2002) [1992], The Jains (Second ed.), Routledge, ISBN 0-415-26605-X
• Sangave, Vilas Adinath (1981), The Sacred Sravana-Belagola: A Socio-religious study (First ed.), Bharatiya Jnanpith
• Pereira, José (1977), Monolithic Jinas, Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN 0-8426-1027-8
• Mookerji, Radha Kumud (1988) [first published in 1966], Chandragupta Maurya and his times (4th ed.), Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN 81-208-0433-3
• Vidyabhusana, Satis Chandra (1920), A History of Indian Logic: Ancient, Mediaeval, and Modern Schools, Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN 9788120805651