________________
established the gama gaccha. And then disseminating the doctrine of
gama, which was based on the original tenets, he proselytized and guided many noble souls on to the original spiritual path.
One day at a certain place he met Kum ra ga i. Both of them had an amiable conversation on the methods and rituals of scriptures. c rya Ya odeva was immensely impressed by the pious life style and exemplary scriptural knowledge of Kum ra ga i. He was senior to Ya odeva in monkhood. So he ordained Kum ra ga i as c rya and gave him the ascetic name - lagu a S ri. Thereupon, both of them together started itinerant preaching of scriptural based tenets and conduct.
In their wayfaring, they reached A ahillapura Pa a a. They went to Lord Ari anemi's temple to pay obeisance. King Kum rap la was also present there along with Hemacandra S ri at that time. The King observed Ya odeva and lagu a S ri offering venerations in three stutis. He was awestruck and asked his c rya, "Lord! What type of veneration is this? Is it appropriate?”
Hemacandra S ri replied, “Your Majesty! This is scriptural method, i.e. a method professed in scriptures.”
From then onwards Reformed path of lagu a S ri and Ya odeva ga i came to be called as 'gamika gaccha. This evinces the fact that as
c rya Hemacandra explained to King Kum rap la that their veneration was scriptural ( gamika) method, their gaccha became famous as
gamika gaccha'.
lagu a S ri spent his life strictly cleaving to scriptural mode of asceticism and propagating Jain doctrine in different places and ultimately left his mortal body in Sam dhi. Devabhadra S ri succeeded him as c rya of gamika gaccha.
Devabhadra S ri: The second c rya of gamika gaccha, Devabhadra S ri was an exemplary scholar in scriptures, an efficient promulgator of Reformed Path and Jina Order and an erudite scholar of his times. He was succeeded by Dharma Gho a S ri (third c rya), who in turn by c rya Ya obhadra S ri (4h c rya). After him, three superior monks were
183
