Arya Bhadrabahu

Author(s): M A Dhaky
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M. A. Dhaky
Jambu-jyoti
Jambū predecessors of Bhadrabāhu including his own preceptor's name in both sources. In the present state of our knowledge, it is difficult to explain this too obvious a difference, no question of reconciling the two lists52. One of them is inaccurate or both may be unaware of certain realities of the past.
Now, to some other facts/anecdotes recorded in Southern sources. The Aradhanā of Sivārya (c. early 6th cent, A.D.), a Yāpanīya work (or plausibly of its likely parent sect, the Botika-Ksapanaka of north India, founded by the schismic pontiff Arya Sivabhūti in the second century A.D.) only records a single fact : It states that Bhadrabāhu passed away by resorting to avamodarya, reduction in the quantity of the food intake. It does not, though, specify the place where he breathed his last. Nor does it note his predecessors,' or 'successors' names either. The Kathākośa of Harisena (A.D. 931), however, mentions that, after the prediction he made of the 12 years' draught in Ujjayanī, Bhadrabāhu passed away in Bhādrapadadeśa (unidentified, but may be contiguous to the Pāriyātra region adjacent to the Mālava country) by anaśana or rite of suspension of aliments. The earlier noted Kannada work, the Aradhana-tīkā, however, despite several legendary and imaginary elements appearing in its long-winding narration, does state that Bhadrabāhu passed away by avamodarya but that event occurred in Sravanabelgola. (The details and implications of these differing statements are reserved for discussion in Section VI.)
Works attributed to Bhadrabāhu
From at least the time of the opening verse of the Daśāśrutaskandhaniryukti and the Pancakalpa-niryukti (both c. A.D. 525) and, following it in time, of the Pañcakalpabhāsya of Sanghadāsa gani (c. A.D. 550) as well as the Daśāśrutaskandhacurņi (c. mid 7th cent. A.D.), the authorship of the three chedasūtras—the Daśāśtrutaskanda (also called the Acāradaśā), the Kalpa, and the Vyavahāra of the Northern or Ardhamăgadhī canon-is attributed to Arya Bhadrabāhus4 Bhadrabāhu, in the post-Gupta Svetāmbara (as well as the medieval and possibly pre-medieval Digambara) tradition, is believed to be the last patriarch to have possessed, as had been noticed in the foregoing pages, the complete knowledge of scriptural works (śrutakevali). Likewise, he is looked upon as the last to have possessed the knowledge of the 14 Purva-textsss; hence he also had been called