Book Title: Rushibhashit Sutra
Author(s): Vinaysagar, Sagarmal Jain, Kalanath Shastri, Dineshchandra Sharma
Publisher: Prakrit Bharti Academy
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literature he has been shown as a dwarf and his height was said to be about three feet. He is supposed to have attained omniscience while he was a house-holder. These details confirm that he was a Rishi of the ancient Shraman tradition.
In Rishibhashit he preaches desirelessness or non attachment. The most important part of his preachings is that he considers desire to be the cause of sorrow. He stipulates that if a lethargic person can be happy by becoming desireless there can be nothing against an intelligent and deligent ascetic deriving happiness through being desireless. In fact this preaching of his is parallel to Anasakta-yoga of Gita.
Besides Jain tradition we also find mention of Kummaputta. Ther in Buddhist tradition. In Thergatha105 and Atthakatha of Apadan 106 the story of Kummaputta can be found in detail. In his previous birth he had given oil for massage on feet to Vippasi Buddha. As a result of this good deed he was born in the family of a house-holder in Velutkantaka city of Avanti. His mother's name was Kumma, that is why he was called Kumma-putta (the son Kumma). He accepted monk-hood on hearing preachings of Sariputta. While meditating about Karmasthan he attained. Arhat-hood through Vipashyana (a yogic practice).
A mention of Kummaputta Sayather is also available in Thergatha. This person was, infact, an assistant of Kummaputta, or a monk near to him. As such he is different from Kummaputta. Both Jain and Buddhist traditions are concommitant on the fact that his name was Kummaputta because of his mother's name. At the same time it is true that the essence of his preachings is detachment and purity of thought. It is possible that he was either of an earlier period or a contemporary of Mahavir and Buddha. As regards vedic tradition, no reference could be found about Kummaputta.
8. KETALIPUTTA
The preachings of Ketaliputta have been compiled in the eighth chapter of Rishibhashit 107. Besides Rishibhashit no other source provides any information about him. Other Jain canons
Rishibhashit: A Study 163
