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Jain Society of Greater Detroit
PRATISHTHA MAHOTSAV JUNE 27-JULY 6 1998
BHADRABAHUSWAMI (death, Vir Samvat 170)
Stories Of The Sadhu
The two brothers, Bhadrabahu and Varah, of Pratishtanpur were extremely knowledgeable about Sanskrit but also destitute. With the encouragement of Yashobhadrasuri they both took diksha. Bhadrabahu learnt the 14 purvas and became an acharya but the guru refused Varah acharyaship. In anger, Varah left the fold of monks and became a royal
astrologer. Upon the prince's birth Varah predicted that he would live for a hundred years. But Bhadrabahusuriji said that he would die at the hands of a cat on the seventh day. The king then ordered that all cats be banished from the kingdom and had the baby prince kept in the safety of the basement of the palace. But on the seventh day, the haldrop of the door which was in the form cat's face fell on the prince, killing him. With this in
cident, Varah became infuriated with the suriji and in that fury, died and became a vyantar. As a vantar, Varah created havoc in the congregation of the suriji who wrote the "Uvasagaharam” sutra to counter it. Water that had been blessed with the mantra was sprinkled upon the community and with that the vyantar's annoyance was appeased. Bhadrabahuswami was the last shrutakevali. He wrote the books "Uttradhyan", "Brahatkalpasutra", "Suryapragyapthi", "Pindniryukti Adi" and other granthas.
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