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156
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[MAY, 1892.
BHADRABAHU, CHANDRAGUPTA, AND SRAVANA-BELGOLA.
BY J. F. FLEET, Bo.C..., M.R.A.S., C.I.E. In the first fifteen pages of the Introduction to his Inscriptions at Sravana-Belgola (published in 1889), Mr. Rice has arrived at the conclusions, that the settlement of the Jains at that place was brought about by the last of the Sruta-K&valins, BhadrabAha, and that this person died there, tended in his last moments by the Maurya king Chandragupta, - the Sandrokottos of the Greek historians, - the grandfather of Asoka. These conclusions, if they could be accepted as correct, would possess considerable interest. And it is worth while, therefore, to examine the grounds upon which they are based.
It is clear that there are local traditions, of some antiquity, connecting the names Bhadrabâhu and Chandragupta with Sravana-Belgoļa. Thus: - Of the two hills at 'Sravaņa-Belgola, the smaller one, Chandragiri, is said to derive its appellation from the fact that Chandragupta was the name of the first of the saints who lived and performed penance there (Introd. P, 1). On this hill there is a cave which is known as the cavo of BhadrabahusvAmin; and also a shrine which is called the Chandragupta-basti (ibid. p. 2, and map). Two inscriptions, said to be of the ninth century, found near the Gautama-kshtra of the river Kávéri at Seringapatam, speak of the hill at Sravaņa-Belgola as having its summit marked by the impress of the feet of Bhadrabahu and the Munipati Chandragupta (ibid. p. 2, note 6). At Sravana. Belgoļa itself, inscription No. 17, of about the seventh century A. D., mentions "the pair Bhadrabahu, together with the Munindra Chandragupta." And inscription No. 71, of considerably later date, refers to worship being done to the foot-prints of Bhadrabahu.
So far, we stand on safe ground, in respect of the names of a Bhadrabahu and a Chandragupta ; provided that we only bear in mind that, as yet, we have nothing to enable us to identify any particular Bhadrababu and any particular Chandragupta.
We turn next to insoriptions at Sravana-Belgola, which undoubtedly mention Bhadrabahu, the last of the Sruta-Kavalins. No. 40, of A.D, 1163, speaks of "Gautama" (the first of the Kévalins], "in whose line arose“ Bhadrabahu, the last among the Sruta-Kavalins; his disciple was Chandragupta, whose "glory was such that his own gana of Munis was worshipped by the forest-deities :"I and then, after a break, it takes up & line of succession, placed in the lineage (anvaya) of Chandragupta, beginning with the Municv..ra Kondakanda, whose original name was Padmanandin. No. 54, of A. D. 1128, again mentions Gautama, the Sruta-Kévaline, Bhadrabahu (apparently the Sruta-Kévalin of that name), and Chandragupta, "who, by being his disciple, acquired such merit as to be served for a long time by the forest-deities;” and then, like the preceding, after a break, it takes up the succession beginning with Kondakunda. No. 105, of A. D. 1398, dealing similarly with the succession from Kondakunda, enumerates, before him, a number of teachers, in respect of whom, for present purposes, it is only necessary to say that the Kévalin Gantama, and five Sruta-Kévalins, ending with Bhadrabahy, are mentioned, but the name of Chandragapta does not occur at all. And No. 108, of A. D. 1433, mentions Gautama; in his line, the Yatindra Bhadrabahu, the last of the Sruta-Kévalins; his disciple, Chandragupta ; and, in the line of the latter, the Munindra Kundakunda, whose succession is then continued, as in the other records.
It may be mentioned, in connection with an altogether different matter of some interest, that, in the further succession of disciples, this inscription mentions one whose original name was Devanandin; who was called Jinêndra baddhi, on moount of his great learning; who was called PajyapAda, because his feet were worshipped by gode; and who composed the Jainindra-grammar.
I give this name as it stands in Mr. Bioe's texts, - Kondakunda, in Nos. 40, 54, and 105, and Kundakunda in No. 108. The variation in the vowel of the first syllable is not material. There is a question as to the proper consonante in the second and fourth syllables. For several varianter of the name. see Dr. Hultasch's south-In. Vol. I. p. 158, note 2. In the pallavall of the Sarasvati-Gachohhs, it appeare an Kundakunda (ante, Vol. XX. Pp. 851, 856).
