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Shri Mahavir Jain Aradhana Kendra
www.kobatirth.org
Acharya Shri Kailassagarsuri Gyanmandir
Introduction,
11
Pariçishtaparvan by Hemacandra. To the third class belong the legends incorporated in the more modern commentaries of the Kalpasútra, the vritti of the Rishimandalasůtra by Padmamandiraganin (finished sam 1513 at Jesulmer), and similar works.
According to the Therâvalis, Bhadrabâhu was the sixth Thera (or Sthavira in Samskrit) after Mahâvîra. The name of his Gotra is Prâcîna, which means, probably, only "an old gotra", because a gotra of that name does not occur elsewhere in Indian books. Bhadrabahu was the disciple of Yacobhadra, and had, as stated in the more detailed Therâvalî of the Kalpasůtra, four disciples, Godâsa, Agnidatta, Janadatta and Somadatta, the first of whom founded the Godásagana.
In the Rishimandalasůtra only one verse (167) is devoted to Bhadrabahu, whilst his successor Sthûlabhadra is praised in a score of stanzas. It runs thus:
dasa-kappa-yvavahârâ nijjûdhâ jeņa navama-puvvão |
vamdami Bhaddabâhuim
tam apacchima-sayala-suya-nâņi || "I adore Bhadrabahu, the last of those who were possessed of the whole sacred lore, who extracted the ten kalpas and the vyavahâra from to the ninth pûrva.” Apacchima might be translated: “not the last”, but as it has usually the sense of "the very last", I have thus rendered it in our verse, though the common tradition makes Bhadrabâhu the last but one of the çrutakevalins, Sthûlabhadra being the last who knew all the fourteen pûrvas. Sthûlabhadra's successors down to Vajra possessed only ten pûrvas, and are for that reason called dacapúrvins. After Vajra the knowledge of the pûrvas was entirely lost, see Hemacandra's Abhidhậnacintamani 33, 34. The same author relates in the ninth sarga of the Pariçishtaparvan, how it happened that the last four pûrvas became extinct with Sthûlabhadra. The sañgha of Pâțaliputra, having collected the 11 añgas, sent, in order to procure the twelfth, the drishțivada, Sthûlabhadra and 499 other sådhus to Bhadrabahu, who was then staying in Nepal. In consequence of his having undertaken the inahậprânavrata, he could teach his pupils at such a slow rate only, that after some time all were wearied and fell away, except Sthûlabhadra. He learned from the mouth of Bhadrabahu ten púrvas in as many years. Then Bhadrabâhu found fault with him, and refused to teach him the rest of the pûrvas. But on Sthûlabhadra's entreaty, he continued his teaching on the condition that he should teach nobody else the last four pûrvas. Dharmaghosha's words can be reconciled to this legend on the supposition that he regarded Sthûlabhadra's knowledge as imperfect, because he could not impart the whole of it to others. Therefore, Bhadrabâhu's knowledge was superior, and he could be called apacchima-sayala-suya-nâni. But this inter
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