Chitrabhanu Man with Vision

Author(s): Clare Rosenfield
Publisher: Jain Meditation International Centre New York

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the joy of just being.
By deeply experiencing spaces of outer beauty and serenity he glimpsed his own calm inner world. He used his hours after class and during vacations to experience this harmony and to stand as a witness to both — inner and outer beauty.
In that connection, one day he turned his steps to the ancient Jain temple at Sravana Belagula, south of Mysore, about sixty miles from Bangalore. He stood upon the same hill where the great Acharya Bhadrabahu had left his body more than two thousand years before. This was the monk who had spread Jain teachings to the south of India. For Rup, who had no specific urge to make a pilgrimage, it was a trip to see a wonder of the world, the colossal fifty-six foot tall statue which had been carved out of living rock in one single unbroken piece. This image had been the realization of the dream of one man, a visionary sculptor known as Arishtanemi who lived in 983 A.D. Rup had heard of this monumental sculpture and had read a little of the sculptor whose zeal and conviction convinced the king of that time to support him with artisans, material, and the necessary tools.
Rup climbed the steps to the summit of the mountain and walked into the courtyard to stand before the immensely large statue. It was overwhelming to realize that his head barely reached 3s high as the statue's lower legs! He looked up at the image and felt infused with its energy. He felt one with the artist who had not let anything deter him from carrying out his inspired dream.
What is the story behind the statue? What was it that touched the sculptor and moved him to create such a masterpiece?
The statue represented Bāhubali, second son of Adinātha, also called Bhagwān Rushabha, saintly king and prophet who is revered for having brought mankind out from the Stone Age into the Agricultural Age, leading them into evolution and awareness. Adi means first and natha means lord; Adinātha was regarded as first to have exemplified non-violence, reverence, and affection toward all living beings as a way of life. He taught his sons and daughters how to cultivate the land, how to protect living beings, how to read and write, how to over
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