Heart of Jainism

Author(s): Mrs Sinclair Stevenson
Publisher: Mrs Sinclair Stevenson

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HISTORY OF THE
bhava.
Prabhava felt that there was no one amongst the Jaina capable of succeeding him as leader, and being much impressed by the spiritual genius of a staunch Brāhman called Sayambhava, he determined to win him over. He was successful and converted him just after he had offered a great sacrifice. Though he was married, he left his wife to become an ascetic, and the little son Manaka who was shortly after born to her eventually became a Jaina ascetic also, receiving initiation at his father's hands. Sayambhava knew by his supernatural powers that his son would only live a short time, so he wrote a book for him called Daśa. vaikālika, in which he gave a complete conspectus of the leading Jaina tenets; it is on this book (a monument of a father's love persisting even in the ascetic life) that Sayambhava's claim to fame rests.
He was followed by Yaśobhadra, who died in 319 B.C., and was succeeded by Sambhūtivijaya, who only held sway for two years. The rule of these two was not marked by any outstanding event, but after them we come to one of the great epochs in Jaina history, which began with the leadership of Bhadrabāhu, who succeeded in 317 B.C.
The new leader was a scholar, and Jaina credit him with the authorship of the Niryukti or commentaries on the ten canonical books, and of a book on astronomy which is named after him the Bhadrabāhu Samhitā. He also wrote what the Svetāmbara Jaina consider to be their holiest work, the Upasarga Harastotra Kalpa Sūtra.
It was during the headship of Bhadrabāhu and during the reign of Candragupta 1 of the Maurya dynasty that a great famine? took place, which seems to have been of the most terrible severity. It would of course be very
Candragupta (c. 322-298 B. c.), grandfather of Asoka and first paramount sovereign of India. According to Jaina tradition he abdicated in 297 B.C., became a Jaina ascetic, and died twelve years later of voluntary starvation in Srāvana Belgolā in Mysore.
2 Dr. Hoernle suggests 310 B.C. as the date of this famine.
Bhadra- bāhu.