Book Title: Jain Legend Vol 2
Author(s): Hastimal Maharaj, Shuganchand Jain, P S Surana
Publisher: Hastimal Maharaj Shugan C Jain P S Surana
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very great scholar he was the great devotee of his Guru and was an “ideal disciple'.
According to Up saka Da S tra he was always engaged in periodical fasting of two days each. His humility was so praiseworthy that whenever he wanted to clarify his doubts, he would get up from his place, would approach Lord Mah v ra, perform three circumambulations and salute him, then sitting at a short distance, with folded hands, would humbly ask the question. To put it in a nutshell, he was the treasure house of all the virtues like hailing from a respectable family and a noble caste; he was able bodied, humble, wise, virtuous, full of brilliance, etc.
Previous births of Indrabh ti Gautama
In vet mbara literature the authors of canons clearly mentioned that there had been a loving relationship between Lord Mah v ra and Gautama even in their previous births. It is described in Bhagavat S tra that rama a Lord Mah v ra told Indrabh ti Gautama, "Gautama! There has been relationship between you and me in our many previous births. From a long time you are connected to me with an amiable knot, and remained my praise-worthy and familiar follower; sometimes born as celestial angels and at times in a human form. It does not end even after this birth and both of us after death we will ever remain together with identical forms, without any difference, never to separate and always to stay together”.
As per the above description given in Bhagavat S tra, it is evident that Lord Mah v ra had been associated with Indrabh ti from many births. In one of his (Lord Mah v ra) previous births as Trip ha V sudev, Indrabh ti was born as his charioteer. Except this there is no description in vet mbara literature about any other birth.
View of the two sects regarding the first pontiff of the creed
According to vet mbara sectc rya Sudharm was the first successor of Lord Mah v ra's creed while in all the well known literature of Digambara sect it is expressed that Indrabh ti Gautama became the first pontiff after the nirva of Lord Mah v ra. But in their earliest classical scripture ‘Loka Vibh ga’, the same view as that of vet mbaras is
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