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55/जैनों का संक्षिप्त इतिहास, दर्शन, व्यवहार एवं वैज्ञानिक आधार
and bowing repeatedly before Hallhal ,the potter woman, with whom he resided. JAINS AFTER MAHAVEER:
The ardent followers or Principal disciples during Mahaveer's life time were 11 Gandhars, of whom only two Gautam and Sudharmā survived Mahaveer; and Gautam too attained salvation immediately after Mahaveer. History knows very little about other Gandhars except Sudharmā who lived for 20 years after Veer Nirvān. Most of the canonical texts owe to him as sacred sermons of Mahaveer to Gautam Gandhar and or Sudharmā preaching Jambooswami his disciple on their queries. The first six Acharyas (Preceptors) in succession after Mahaveer were (1) Sudharma, (2) Jambu, (3) Prabhava, (4) Shayambhava, (5) Yashobhadra, (6) Bhadrabāhu and Sambhut Vijay. It is said that Shayyambha had precognition of the impending death of his son disciple 'Manak’; as such he reduced the entire canonical literature into one text called Dashvaikālik, a faithful representation of it.
Bhadrabahu who was the last omniscient, 'Srutkeval', of entire 12'Agam's and 14'Purvas', He however did not impart knowledge of 12th Agam to his disciple 'Sthulibhadra' to be parted with to others. He belonged to the period of Chandragupt Maurya.
Ashoka's grandson Sampratti propagated Janism vigourously. Of B.C. 300. credible Jain edicts have been found in Tamil Nadu in Brahmi script- in Madurai and Tinnevali. Within 100 years of Ashoka, Jain religion
