$JES 904 Compendium of Jainism (Jain Academic Bowl Manual 3rd Edition)

Author(s): JAINA Education Committee
Publisher: JAINA Education Committee

Page 316

F02 Story - Ganadhars and Ächäryas
02 Ganadhar Sudharmä-swämi
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02 - Ganadhar Sudharmä-swämi
Gautam Swami was not Bhagwan Mahavir's only ganadhar; in fact, there were eleven ganadhars. When Bhagawan Mahavir attained nirvana, only two of the eleven ganadhars were still living: the first ganadhar, Gautam-swämi, and the fifth ganadhar, Sudharmä-swämi.
Of the two, Gautam-swämi attained keval-jnän the day after Mahävir's nirvana. It is a Jain tradition that a Kevali monk or nun remains in a meditative state for the rest of his/her life and does not provide a leadership role to other monks. Hence, Sudharmä-swämi then became the leader of all of the ascetics and the entire Jain community.
Sudharmä-swämi was the son of a learned Brahmin named Dhammil and his wife Bhaddilä. They lived in a village called Kollag, now known as Kollua, in the state of Bihar. Dhammil and Bhaddilä had both been longing for a child, and Bhaddilä worshipped goddess Saraswati (goddess of knowledge) faithfully. It is said that the goddess, pleased by her devotion, blessed Bhaddilä by promising her a highly accomplished son. Soon after that, Bhaddilä became pregnant, and in due course gave birth to a son named Sudharmä. He was born in 607 BC, making him 8 years older than Lord Mahävir.
Sudharmä grew up under the loving care of his parents. At an appropriate age, he went to a well-known Äshram (boarding school), where he diligently studied the Vedas, Upanishads, and all other Hindu (Brahmanical) pieces of literature. By the time he returned from school, he was famous and well respected as a learned Brahmin Pundit. He then started his own school, which became a center of great learning. Over 500 pupils from all over the country came to study under his tutelage.
As a well-known Brahmin scholar, Sudharmä was invited to the same yajna conducted by Somil that Indrabhuti was to preside over. After Indrabhuti left to debate with Mahavir, his brothers and other eminent attendees left as well, one by one becoming Mahavir's disciples. Soon, it was Sudharma's turn. Sudharmä believed that every living being would reincarnate into its own species. In other words, human beings would be reborn only as human beings. His theory was based on the analogy of plant life. An apple tree produced seeds from which only other apple trees could grow, so living beings should only reincarnate into the same species.
Bhagawan Mahavir welcomed him too and understood his thoughts. He calmly and patiently explained to Sudharma that human beings could be reincarnated as humans or heavenly beings or even as animals depending upon their karma. He addressed all of Sudharma's doubts and explained to him the theory of karma. Sudharma saw the wisdom of Bhagawan Mahavir's words and was convinced with the explanation, and he too became a disciple of Bhagawän Mahävir along with his five hundred disciples. As a ganadhar of Bhagawan Mahävir, he came to be known as Sudharmä-swämi.
In the following years, Sudharma swämi always sat in front of Mahavir during his discourses and carefully listened to what Bhagawan Mahavir had to say. This enabled him to compose Mahävir's teachings in the form of Jain scriptures known as Ägams.
After Mahavir's nirvana in 527 BC, the leadership of the Jain order was left to Sudharmä-swämi. During the next 12 years in which he remained at the helm, he efficiently managed the Jain order set up by Bhagawän Mahävir and spread his message far and wide.
Shvetämbar tradition believes that during this period of his stewardship, Sudharmä-swämi organized Bhagawan Mahavir's teachings into 12 scriptures, known as the 12 Anga Ägams. These original scriptures (Ägams), are collectively known as Dwädshängi. Dwädasha means 12, and Anga means limb (part). Many of the Ägams are composed in the form of questions asked by Jambu-swämi (Sudharmäswämi's disciple) and replies given by Sudharmä-swämi, representative of Bhagawän Mahävir's words. Sudharmä-swämi attained omniscience in 515 B.C. and attained nirvana in 507 B.C. at the age of 100. After attaining omniscience, the religious order was entrusted to his principal disciple, Jambuswämi.
Moral:
Jainism has deep roots and we practice it based on the scriptures that have been passed down for many generations. The scriptures known as Ägams, compiled by the ganadhars, comprise of
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Compendium of Jainism - 2015