Arya Bhadrabahu

Author(s): M A Dhaky
Publisher: Z_Nirgranth_Aetihasik_Lekh_Samucchay_Part_1_002105.pdf and Nirgranth_Aetihasik_Lekh_Samucchay_Part_2

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Arya Bhadrabähu
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Turning next to the Southern literary sources having a bearing on Bhadrabāhu, the earliest, as was pointed out, is the Ārädhanā of Śivärya (c. 6th cent.), a Yāpanīya (or Botika-Ksapanaka) and not Digambara work. it, however, refers to only a single point related to Bhadrabāhu, namely his death due to reduced food intake92 :
ओमोदरिए घोराए भद्दबाहू असंकिलिट्ठमदी। घोराए विगिच्छाए पडिवण्णो उत्तमं ठाणं ॥
-आराधना १५३९ The next source is the Ārādhanā-tīkā, also known as the Vadda-Aradhane (c. 9th or early 10th cent.), the commentary in Kannada by Bhrājisnuo, on the above-cited Sivārya's Ārādhanā. Unlike the inscriptions, it delineates Bhadrabāhu's life-sketch wherein a small part seems somewhat genuine, but the rest has a look and flavour of fiction as well as smell of fabrication and coloured by sectarian bias, the latter part omitted here in discussion since irrelevant in the present context.
'In the town of Kaundini within the Pundravardhana county,' says Bhräjişnu, *ruled a chief called Padmaratha with his consort Padmaśrī. To his high priest Somaśarmā and wife Somaśrī was born Bhadrabāhu.'
The names, except for Bhadrabāhu and the localities noted there, obviously are fictitious. The commentary next enters into a lengthy mythical account concerning caturdaśapūrvi Govardhana (ultimately the one who initiated Bhadrabāhu) and immediately next the one relating to Bhadrabāhu. This portion we may leave out for good. What is contextually significant is of course the notice that Bhadrabāhu not only learnt the Anga texts (the 11 Nirgrantha canonical works) but, significantly, also the Purva. texts from his preceptor Govardhana.
The Commentator then dwells not upon the Maurya emperor Candragupta but his grand son Aśoka reigning in Pätaliputra. Next he turns to another phase of the anecdote, the queen Candrananā, consort of Asoka's son Kunāla, the prince who was blinded by an official due to a wrong reading (tempered version?) of the emperor's communication. She gave birth to a son who was named Samprati-Candragupta by Aśoka. Following this account, starts a lengthy mythical narrative concerning the previous embodiment of that prince, which being totally useless as history, has to be ignored. The grown up Samprati-Candragupta is placed by the Commentator in