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BHADRABĀHUSVĀMI AND SAMRAT CANDRAGUPTA
M. D. VASANTHARAJ
Bhadrabāhu Svāmi, the Dvādaśānga Caturdaśapurvin, was the 8th Pradhānācārya in succession after the nirvāṇa of Mahāvira Tirththankara. According to the Digambara Jaina tradition Samrāt Candragupta, King of Ujjaini, taking Muni Dikşā joined the Munisangha headed by Bhadrabāhusvāmin. It was foreseen that wicked times would befall the regions of Northern India and so Bhadrabāhusvāmin, with the Munisangha, undertook journey to Dakşiņāpatha. On reaching Ka!bappu i.e., Sravanabe!go!a he felt that his last days were fast approaching and therefore he asked the Munisangha to continue the journey, took to the vow of Sallekhanā, and stayed on the hill Candragiri at Sravanabelgoļa. Candraguptamuni, also stayed back with a desire to serve his guru Bhadrabāhu. This Candragupta the disciple of Bhadrabābu has been identified by some of the scholars as Maurya Candragupta of historic fame. But an important problem in relation to this identification has not been solved satisfactorily. Scholars, in their majority, have accepted 527 B.C., as the date of Mahāvīra's Nirvana. The date of Bhadrabāhu's death is placed in the year 162 after Mahāvira's Nirvāņa (A. Mv) i.e., 365 B.C. according to the Digambara Jaina tradition or 170 A Mv. i.e., 357 B. C. according to the Svetāmbara Jaina tradition. Further Candragupta Maurya's accession to the throne of Magadha cannot definitely go beyond 322 B.C. His rule ended in the year 298 B. C. Thus it is quite clear that Bhadrabāhusvāmin was not at all living at the hour of Maurya Candragupta's coronation. Therefore, the identification of Samrāt Candragupta, the disciple of Bhadrabāhu, with Maurya Candragupta stands disapproved for not being based on proper reasoning. Thus this question needs fresh investigation. This subject has been discussed in detail by me elsewhere and here only a compendium of it is presented.
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