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CHAPTER XII
LEADING FOLLOWERS (UPĀSAKAS)
Wending through the Āgamas and the Tripitakas, one comes across ample material about the followers and disciples of both Mahavira and Gautama Buddha. To signify these, both the orders have used a common term, śrama - nopasaka. Both Jainism and Buddhism were parts of a common cult called sramaņa, and the term śramanopāsaka reveals the common source of the two. Even the word śrāvaka has been used in both the traditions; but whereas in the Jaina tradition, a śrāvaka is a lay-follower, in the Buddhist tradition, it may be a monk as well as a follower, - e.g., bhikṣu-srāvaka upāsaka-svavaka (1).
Leading Jaina Upāsakas
The accounts about the leading followers are more organised and detailed in the Agamas than in the Tripitakas. Among the 11 Agamas in the Jaina tradition, the seventh one is devoted to the life-story of 10 leading sravakas. This apart, the Bhagavati and many other canonical texts have noticed innumerable followers, both male and female. The account of 10 srávakas in the Uvāsagada sao gives details of their conversion to the nir grantha faith, their families, their business, their riches and their cow herds. Each one of these 10 śrāvakas, it is stated, possessed 24, 00, 00, 000 gold coins and 80,000 cow-heads. The Buddhist follower Visakhā is stated to have even a much greater amount of wealth with her and she is stated to have spent 27, 00, 00, 000 gold coins in the construction of pūrvarām, a shelter for the use of the Buddhist monks. We further learn from the Tripitakas that the Buddhists followers, too, maintained large herds of cattle. The main traits of the Buddhist followers have been stated to be lavish outlay on the construction of shelters for the monks and on making offers of food, cloth. ing, etc., to the monks. In contrast, the principal traits of the Jaina followers have been the fulfilment of 12 vows, practice of equanimity, penances, etc. We have thrilling
