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tual order of Mahavira. Thus the spiritual order of Mahāvira started with a total strength of 4411 disciples all of whom were Brahmanas converted to Jainism,
Indrabhūti became well-known as Gautama (which the name of his line). At the liberation of Mahāvira from this worluy life, Sudharmā succeeded him as Acārya to the spiritual seat.
According to the Digamvaras, it was Gautama who was the first successor of Mahavira to the spiritual seat (4).
2. Candanavālā - In the Buddhist order, for some time, women were not initiated as nuns; but in the nirgrant ha order, even at the first congregation of Bhagavān Mahāvira, women were initiated as nuns. Candanavālā was the first to join the order as a nun, and even when the strength of the nuns reached 36,000, she remained foremost among them. Once, Mahāvira went on a fast for six months, whose termination depended on the fulfilment of certain conditions set by himself (i. e., these were not known to others). These conditions were as follows:
As to object - this must be dried udada, and it must exist
at the corner of winnowing fan.
As to place - the donor must have one leg inside the thre
shold and another outise it.
As to time - at the fag end of the usual begging time.
As to state - a princess, enslaved, chained, with head
tonsured, crying, and one fast for three days.
He would accept food if these conditions were fulfilled; otherwise, the fast would be extended for another six months (5).
When there were five days to complete six months, all the conditions were fulfilled in the hands of Candanavālā. The life-story of this pious woman was full of events from the start through its middle till its end. She was the only daughter of Dadhivāhana of Campa from his queen Dhariņi.
