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r Gunaratna, in his commentary on ad Dar ana wrote that the ascetics of Y pan ya congregation practice nudity, carry a soft broom made of shed peacock feathers with them, partake food placing it on the palm of their hands, worship naked idols and bless by uttering 'Dharma L bha' (May you be blessed with Dharma) when the Votaries bow to them.
The Y pan ya congregation gained popularity in Karnataka and its nearby places. It was a highly effective congregation of its times. It enjoyed royal patronage up to Vikram 15th
century.
21st Epochal- c rya rya Vajrasena
Household
life 9 years
duration
Tenure as an ordinary 63 years
Monk
Tenure as group- 33 years
Birth
Initiation
V.N. 492
group
V.N. 501
Became c rya
Became epochal- V.N. 617
c rya Heavenly abode
V.N. 584
c rya Tenure
V.N. 620
as epochal- 3 years
c rya Total longevity
128 years
As
Vajrasena took initiation from rya Simhagiri prior to rya Vajra, who was initiated in 504 V.N. rya Vajra was gifted with implicit intelligence and knowledge, rya Simhagiri entrusted rya Vajra with the responsibilities of c rya during his life time, and just before his final salvation, he officially appointed rya Vajra as the leader of the
congregation.
Probably Vajrasena might not have accepted the post of c rya because he regarded highly the immense knowledge of rya Vajra. That rya Vajra and rya Vajarsena had teacher-disciple relationship between them, is proved from the fact that before leaving with an entourage of 500 monks to observe fast unto death at the onset of the great famine,
rya Vajra reinforced Vajrasena that the drought will end when in the house of the merchant Jinadatta in the city of Sop raka, poison is mixed in the high-price cooked food.
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