Gommateshvara Commemoration Volume

SR No.: 012066
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: T G Kalghatgi
Publisher: Parshwanath Shodhpith Varanasi
Publication Year: 1981
Total Pages: 198
Language: English, Hindi
Classification: Smruti_Granth & Articles
File Size: 8 MB

Page 148

Bhadrabāhusvāmi and Samrat Candragupta
107
their life accounts have, as time passed on, mixed up with one another and thus finally took story-form of four versions differing from one another in regard to some of the historical points. One of the differences, essentially notable, is that in two versions of the story, Bhadrabahu's journey to Dakşiņāpatha is not mentioned and instead it is stated that he stayed in a town in North India in his last days of life.
A careful study of the traditional accounts reveals that the life events of Bhadrabāhu, the second one to bear this name in the line of Srutadharas and whom the traditional accounts mention as the Aştānga Srutapāțhi, and as a contemporary of Vikramāditya are consfused with the life events of first Bhadrababu the Dvadasānga Srutapathi and thus in the versions of Svetambara story and of the BȚhatkathakaša story Bhadrabāhu's journey to Dakşiņāpatha is missing. As against this in the Vaļļārädhane and the other Digambara versions of the story, the life events of 'Dvādaśānga Srutapāțhi Bhadrabāhu and Ācārāåga Srutapāthi Bhadrabāhu, one more Acārya to bear this name in the line of Srutadhara Ācāryas, are mixed up. As an example we can cite the Bhadrabāhu story of the Vadậāradhane. It starts with the life story of Bhadrabāhu the Dyādaśanga Srutapathi in which the main events are: 1) As a result of the interpretation of the twelve dreams dreamt by Candragupta, the king of Ujjaini, Bhadrabāhu starts for Dakşiņāpatha. 2) Candragupta takes to Muni Diksā and accompanies the Munisangha in its journey to Dakşiņāpatha. 3) Bhadrabahu reaches Kalbappu with the Munisangha and takes the vow of Sallekhanā. 4) Višākhācārya the newly appointed head of the Munisangha continues the journey with the Munisangha further on to Damila Desa. 5) Candragupta muni stays back at Kaļbappu to serve his guru Bhadrabāhu 6) After a lapse of twelve years the Munisangha returns to Uttharāpatha and finds the Munisanghas, which not accompanying Bhadrabāhu to Dakşiņāpatha had remained in Uttharāpatha, to have abandoned the code of conduct of Nirgrantha Munidharma, some of the munis of this sangha take Prāyaścitta and join the Munisangha that had arrived there from Dakşiņāpatha, but a few others formed a new Munisangha which is named as Ardhaphālaka.
Here, with the formation of the Ardha-phālaka Sangha, the story in relation to Bhadrabāhu Dvādasāngin should have naturally ended. But the story continues to narrate how from Ardha-phalaka Sangha originated later on the Svetāmbara Sangha. With reference to the emergence of the Svetambara Sangha one of the versions of Nandi Amnāya pattāvali states that this Sangha came into existence when Bhadrabāhu the Ācārānga Srutapāțhi happened to be the head of the Munisangha. The Bhadrabāhu story ends with the narration of this event of the origination of the Svetāmbara Sect. Therefore it is evident that in these