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E. Leumann, An outline of the Āvaśyaka Literature
remarks, what information there is on Bhadrabāhu that deserves our attention is the following:
in Svetâmbara literature a Bhadrabāhu section in an old story of the first two Jaina centuries,
in Digambara literature Prabhācandra's epitaph, already mentioned, furthermore the Bhadrabāhu-kathā, composed around 800 by Prabhācandra whose contents Nemidatta has given to us in Kathākośa 61, and finally, the modern Bhadrabāhu-caritra by Ratnanandin that Jacobi has extensively dealt with and edited in ZDMG XXXVIII 9-42.
The story mentioned and having two centuries, entitled joga-samgahā, is found in the Āvaśyaka-Erzählungen. Av.-niry. XVII and begins with five sloka-s, which list the 32 jogasamgahā (mentioned in Av. IV 10,32); then follow 55 stanzas (mostly gāthā-s) which outline the related stories. 1. 6 5. 11 9 . 18 f. 13. 25 | 17. 29 f. 21. 35 | 25.39-53 | 29. 58 2. 7 6. 12 10. 20 1 4. 26 18. 31 22.36 26. 54 f. 30.59 3. 8 f. 7. 13 f. 11. 21-23 15. 27 | 19. 32 f. 23. 37 | 27. 56 31. 60 4. 10 8. 15-17 | 12. 24 16. 28 20.34 24. 38 28. 57 32 600
At times, the stories go very far back. Although 5 should be illustrated only by an episode in Sthūlabhadra's life, for this purpose, the entire Jaina history from the founding of Rājagțha up to the end of that episode is presented - Av.-niry. XVII 11 gives the key words of this very casual tradition, while C & H reproduce the same in Pkt. and later commentaries in Skt.; their contents can be divided into the following sections:
1. Founding of Rājagpha. - 2. Seņiya as a prince. - 3. Abhaya helps him against Pajjoya. - 4. Abhaya is kidnapped. - 5. Abhaya's wife. - 6. Pajjoya's runner is saved by Abhaya. - 7. Udayana robs Vāsavadattā. - 8. Another version of 7. – 9. Abhaya prevents the burning of the city. - 10. Abhaya averts a calamity. - 11. In order to gain satisfaction Abhaya also kidnaps Pajjoya. - 12. The 32 sons of Sulasā. - 13. Cellaņā from Vesālī becomes Seniya's wife. – 14. Birth of Koniya. - 15 f. The pearl necklace (hāra) and the elephant (seyaņaga) trained in water arts: both objects of dispute in the impending war. - 17. Former birth of the afore-mentioned elephant. - 18. Seniya's imprisonment and death. - 19. Cause of war between Kūniya and his half-brothers. - 20. The war. - 21. Kūlavālaga. – 22. Cedaga's death. - 23-25. History of the god Mahesara (23. Pedhāla, Rudda. 24. tinni purāņi i.e. Tripura. 25. Umā). - 26. Koniya's demise. - 27. Udāi founds Pādaliputta. - 28. Founding-myth. - 29. Udāi's murder. - 30. Nanda's enthronement. - 31. Nanda's minister Kappaya. - 32. Sagadāla, minister of the ninth Nanda. – 33. Sagadāla's son, Thūlabhadda, as a monk. - 34. Rahiya's conversion. - 35. Thūlabhadda as a student of Bhaddabāhu. – 36. Thūlabhadda's sisters.
The depiction does not intend to be exhaustive since in many other Āvaśyaka-stories almost as much material that refers to the same period can be found scattered; besides, there would also be something to add from the remaining Svetâmbara literature. Subsequently, Hemacandra has squeezed in several such special traditions that refer to the Maurya-dynasty, after section 34 (VIII 194 - IX 54), when he took over sections 27-36 in his Parisistaparvan (VI 22 - VIII 193 & IX 55-110). Naturally he has done everything in Skt.-śloka-s.
[25] Both of the concluding portions read in translation:
35. At that time, a twelve-year famine had arisen during which the monks, here and there, went to the coast. Later, when they met again in Pädaliputta, one had retained a
* In order to establish an improvised transition, IX 558 apparently replaces another line that originally followed VIII 193. The first part of the interpolation will be mentioned later. - Some of the last sections (29-33 & 35 f.) have been partly adapted by Padmamandira (in the Rsimandala-commentary) into Skt.-śloka-s, and partly (29-31 middle & 33) just summarily outlined. The content of this modern account has been extensively reported in Bhandarkar's Rep. 188% p. 132,18-134,32.
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